Analysis

ANALYSIS: Vast, viable and virtual: cyberspace is a new continent that cybercriminals are only just beginning to exploit. Policing Insight contributor and Senior Research Fellow at CENTRIC Andrew Staniforth explores the areas most at risk and the need for unprecedented cooperation to combat cybercrime.

Analysis: Amid the headlines that cash-strapped forces are 'sitting on' £1.4bn in reserves and calls from the Police Minister to dip into these reserves to plug the pensions' gap, former GMP ACC and CoPaCC Director Ian Wiggett explains the picture surrounding forces' use of reserves is far more complicated.

Analysis: As the Government's assessment of its future security partnership with the EU is published, Peter Joyce, Visiting Professor in Criminology at the University of Glyndŵr and Dr Wendy Laverick, Senior Lecturer in Criminology at Manchester Metropolitan University, examine new crime trends, current EU crime-fighting tools and how Brexit impacts our ability to fight these new crime forms.

Analysis: Former police officer and Police Federation Secretary Tony Barton has seen first hand the devastating effects policing can have on mental health. Now a consultant and trainer in mental health first aid, Tony explores the stigma still surrounding mental ill-health and the role managers play in promoting an honest and open conversation.

ANALYSIS: The road to police fire governance is a bumpy one as the last few weeks has demonstrated. With one PCC restarting, two stopping and two others mired in controversy, what may have seemed like a good idea to some is not winning any new fans. In her latest update of the Policing Insight series looking at PCCs and fire governance, Catherine Levin reports on the ups and downs of the last few weeks.

Analysis: Reticence towards the Policing Education Qualifications Framework (PEQF) is understandable, says Dr Dominic Wood, Head of the School of Law, Criminal Justice and Computing at Canterbury Christ Church University, but it is also an opportunity for the police service to 'reassert its professional voice and standing in society'. He explains why.

Analysis: Figures published this month show many forces have fully embraced social media and are using it to not only communicate crime and incident-related messages, but also to engage with the public. However, research shows there's still room for improvement.

Analysis: Earlier this month, National Police Chiefs Council Chair Sara Thornton said misogyny should not be recorded as a hate crime. Alan Beckley, a former UK police officer with 30 years service and now Research Fellow at Western Sydney University examines the implications of this approach and Australia's response to misogyny.

LONG READ: With the contraction of police budgets, neighbourhood policing has come under pressure in many areas. However, new College of Policing guidelines suggest it may yet stage a recovery. Andy Higgins of the Police Foundation describes a day with one of South Yorkshire's neighbourhood policing teams, and what it signals about the future of neighbourhood policing.

ANALYSIS: A new organised crime strategy was launched by the government in early November. However, Anna Sergi, Senior Lecturer in Criminology at the University of Essex, warns that seeing organised crime as a national security threat is a poor way of understanding its social and economic roots.

INSIGHT: Small and medium size businesses struggle to get a foothold in supplying ICT to the police service. Police leaders joined this year's Govtech summit in Paris to examine ways for smaller businesses to make themselves heard in this sector.

INSIGHT: Fifteen European Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) have built a unique platform to create and share innovative solutions. Policing Insight contributor and Senior Research Fellow at CENTRIC Andrew Staniforth explains the importance of developing new ways to tackle technology-driven transnational crime.

Analysis: The Draft EU Withdrawal Agreement has finally been published and agreed by the Cabinet, but, while the political fall out continues, what does it mean for UK policing?

ANALYSIS: The latest in our Report Watch series, which summarises the findings of reports that impact policing and includes responses from the main stakeholders as well as media reaction, takes a look at the Home Affairs Select Committee (HASC) Ninth Report Session 2017-19 on Domestic Abuse published on October 22.

ANALYSIS: In some communities in Scotland, serious and organised crime is seen as a route to easy money and expensive cars. Associate Director of the Scottish Criminal Justice Research Centre Dr Alistair Fraser argues this is far from the reality and it's time to take a fresh approach to tackling organised crime.

ANALYSIS: So-called super recognisers are said to possess exceptional face recognition abilities, but are they really as super as they are made out to be? Emma Portch of Bournemouth University explores the evidence.

ANALYSIS: Why is it that some people thrive in conditions of uncertainty, but and others become extremely stressed? Dr Ian Hesketh, Wellbeing Lead for the College of Policing, and Chief Constable Andy Rhodes, NPCC Lead for Wellbeing and Engagement, put forward a short 'resilience prescription', suggesting the key characteristics of a mindset that can improve the ability to cope with a policing environment

ANALYSIS: 'County lines' drug dealing is a growing problem in the UK's small towns. However, it's also creating a hierarchy of exploitation - with its teenage drug dealers themselves near the bottom. Grace Robinson of Edge Hill University; James Densley of Metropolitan State University, and Robert McLean of Northumbria University explain the 'indentured labour' of the drugs trade.

ANALYSIS: In the final part of his series on mental health street triage, Daniel Moloney of the Institute for Public Safety, Crime and Justice at the University of Northampton explains why collecting good data is so vital to understanding outcomes.

ANALYSIS: The latest in our Report Watch series, which summarises the findings of reports that impact policing and includes responses from the main stakeholders as well as media reaction, takes a look at the Scottish Police Authority’s report, Police Scotland Digital, Data & ICT (DDICT) Outline Business Case (OBC) published on September 27.

ANALYSIS: In the second of three blogs on mental health triage, Daniel Moloney of the Institute for Public Safety, Crime and Justice at the University of Northampton explores how good practice and effective policies are developed on the ground

ANALYSIS: Mental health makes up an increasing part of demand on the police service, and various methods are being trialled to try to improve the police response, including triage. In the first of three blogs, Daniel Moloney of the Institute for Public Safety, Crime and Justice at the University of Northampton examines factors affecting demand.

ANALYSIS: The latest in our Report Watch series, which summarises the findings of reports that impact policing and includes responses from the main stakeholders as well as media reaction, takes a look at HMICFRS’ Joint Inspection of the Handling of Cases Involving Disability Hate Crime and HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate, published this month (October 18).

ANALYSIS: There have been many more recruits to the police from minority ethnic, female, and gay and lesbian groups in recent decades - but to what extent has their experience mirrored that of their white, male colleagues? Irene Zempi of Nottingham Trent University examined police experiences of bias, prejudice and ‘hate’ inside the police service itself.