Analysis

FEATURE: A recent Coalition for Canadian Police Reform report and webinar highlighted the experiences of Indigenous Peoples in relation to “system racism” in policing that is “not only historical but ongoing”, and called for the creation of a National Centre for Policing Excellence in an effort to advance reconciliation and improve trust between policing and communities, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

OPINION: As policing in England and Wales moves towards meeting the Government’s Neighbourhood Policing commitment, former South Wales Police detective Steve Dodd, a subject matter expert on intelligence professionalisation and advocate of the community intelligence-led policing methodology (CILPM), explores how the approach can re-establish trust between modern-day policing and communities, and prevent neighbourhood policing from becoming a white elephant.

FEATURE: Recent research into the frontline police responses to domestic abuse incidents involving children highlights the inconsistent and sometimes inadequate service provided by officers to young people, with pressure on time and resources, ‘compassion fatigue’, and a lack of confidence or training in navigating conversations with children among the reasons, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

INNOVATION: A new report from the charity JUSTICE into international lessons on the policing use of artificial intelligence (AI) and how these can be applied to the UK has called for the creation of an independent central body to set minimum standards for the use of AI in policing and act as a repository of good practice, in an effort to remove inconsistencies created by the 43-force structure in England and Wales, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

OPINION: A report published last year noted that the global art market in 2024 was worth $57.5billion in sales, but the lack of transparency in the market offers a high-profile opportunity for criminals; Professors Guergana Guintcheva and Bertrand Monnet of France’s EDHEC Business School explore why art is such a target for organised crime, the processes behind money laundering and counterfeiting, and the efforts to tackle such criminal activities.

FEATURE: With 2025 seeing some of the most disruptive cyberattacks in recent history, Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth explores the likely challenges for the 12 months ahead, and the threats and opportunities posed by the increasing evolution of artificial intelligence (AI) which will trust and resilience becoming key themes in cyber security.

OPINION: Ahead of the publication later this month of his new book on the ongoing roll-out of body-worn cameras, Brandon University’s Professor Christopher J. Schneider explains how research suggests the continuing expansion of the technology is being driven by media coverage and the “new discourse of police reform” focusing on transparency and accountability, rather than evidence of its effectiveness in reducing civilian complaints and police use of force.

FEATURE: Two recent reports into group based child sexual abuse and exploitation (CSAE) in the UK – one by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services, the other by the Hydrant Programme – have highlighted a lack of data around CSAE, the need for more consistency around understanding and identification of crimes, and the importance of a “robust national solution” to tackling CSAE, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

FEATURE: As law enforcement around the world prepares to face the challenges of 2026, Editor Keith Potter looks back over the key issues Policing Insight covered in 2025 – from structural reform and the approaches to ongoing and evolving crime threats, to workforce wellbeing, the opportunities from artificial intelligence and new technology, and leadership insights – and how these may affect the next 12 months.

OPINION: Recent horrific attacks in Australia and the UK have brought the threat from terrorists back firmly into the public spotlight; research by Dr Sara Fregonese of the University of Birmingham and Dr Paul Simpson of the University of Plymouth suggests that what the UK public fears and assumes about terrorism threats is quite different from reality, with perceptions from culturally diverse demographic groups showing significant variations.

FEATURE: Scottish Biometrics Commissioner Dr Brian Plastow has set out a four-year strategic plan featuring priorities on public reassurance and code of practice compliance – and which also includes provision for thematic reviews on fingerprints, evidence from body-worn cameras, and retrieving of data from electronic devices – against a backdrop of “exponential growth” in biometrics and databases, and the associated privacy, human-rights, and equality considerations, reports Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons.

FEATURE: A recent report on police performance in England and Wales, published by the Institute for Government, highlights the “ballooning volumes” of digital evidence and more administrative work being undertaken by officers, and the damaging impact on chiefs officers’ ability to set local priorities amid the continuing delays in publishing the plans for police reform, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

FEATURE: A new report from Europol’s Innovation Lab on the impact of robotics and unmanned systems on law enforcement highlights the range of new threats posed by technology such as drones and robots generating new types and patterns of crime, as well as the potential for policing to leverage such technology to respond to many of the key criminal challenges, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

FEATURE: The recent maiden public speech from the new Chief of MI6, Blaise Metreweli – the first female head of the Service – highlighted the challenges around state actors operating in the ‘grey zone’ to pose a risk to the UK’s security and stability; Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth looks at the nature of those threats, including drones and cyber-attacks, and the role MI6 and policing will need to play in countering them.

FEATURE: A new report from the Vulnerability Knowledge and Practice Programme which analyses the latest figures around child sexual abuse and exploitation (CSAE) in the UK highlights a 6% rise in recorded offences – although under-reporting of CSAE is still regarded as a major concern – with the growth in online platforms, the wider use of AI, and the effects of the cost-of-living crisis among a range of factors contributing to the increase, reports Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons.

OPINION: In the latest in a regular series of articles from the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC), Roger Hirst, Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Essex and APCC Joint Finance Lead, explores the funding challenges facing forces and PCCs in England and Wales following last week’s announcement of the 2026/27 core grant for policing, and highlights extra funding needed to meet government ambitions around issues such as violence against women and girls, and knife crime.

INTERVIEW: Police forces across England and Wales need central support to embed “a more consistent, nationally-led approach” to investigator wellbeing rather than the current ad-hoc activities and initiatives at a local level, as Sarah-Jayne Bray, Programme Manager for the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s Recruitment, Retention and Wellbeing of Investigators portfolio, explained to Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons.

FEATURE: The horrific terrorist attack on Bondi Beach this week – the worst in Australia’s history – has once again highlighted both the continuing critical threat of terrorism, and the importance of efforts to identify individuals at risk of radicalisation and violent extremism; Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth looks at the role of the UK’s Prevent Programme in doing just that.

OPINION: Artificial intelligence (AI) AI is advancing rapidly, but human systems remain slow and often focused on immediate pressures; Odette Meli, former Co-ordinator of the Australian Federal Police’s Strategic Insights Centre, warns that without “leadership uplift and value-aligned governance” AI will amplify organisational weaknesses, and points to how policing in the UK, Australia and New Zealand have structured AI governance as an example of what can be done.

INTERVIEW: New research reveals that wellbeing support for secondary investigators and analysts (SIAs) such as crime and intelligence analysts and digital forensic officers is often below the levels offered to front-line colleagues, despite their often lengthy immersion in highly distressing material; report author Dr Fazeelat Duran of the University of Birmingham is urging police leaders to recognise the risks and exposure, and has also suggested simple strategies to help SIAs, as she explained to Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons.

OPINION: With police forces facing crime challenges at national and international levels, the 43-force structure across England and Wales can present a barrier to speedy and effective interventions; NTT DATA UK&I Executive Head of Public Safety and Justice Ian Rimington, Senior Director Brian Cliff, and Director Keith Ward, argue that closer digital collaboration between neighbouring forces would preserve local independence while giving officers the speed, clarity and unity of purpose to face crime that moves without borders.

ANALYSIS: In the second in a series of articles on male officer mental health in policing, accredited psychological therapist Dr Rachel Rogers explores why male police officers often delay so long before asking for help, the consequential “cuts” that can result from seeking support, the culture that further deepens those wounds, and why labels such as “sick, lame and lazy” become more than just words.

FEATURE: Crime scene investigators (CSIs) are exposed to traumatic scenes more frequently than most other policing roles, yet are often overlooked when it comes to debriefing and wellbeing intervention, according to Anglia Ruskin University’s Rebecca Jones and Varvara Belova, whose research – shared as part of last month’s Investigator Wellbeing Week of Action – highlights the urgent need for improved support around CSI mental health, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

ANALYSIS: Amid media headlines that Australia is in a ‘youth crime crisis’, Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan has announced an “adult time for violent crime” approach that could see children as young as 14 tried in adult courts and facing long sentences; Macquarie University Associate Professor in Criminology Dr Alex Simpson argues that the data doesn’t support such an approach, which is politicising youth violence.