Innovation

INNOVATION: "Wellbeing Vans" are now being offered to police officers and staff across forces in England and Wales giving them fast and easy access to a range of physical, psychological and financial 'healthchecks'. Oscar Kilo's Digital Resource and Engagement Officer Jenna Flanagan updates Policing Insight on their progress.

Innovation: As part of a campaign to raise awareness around vulnerability, Northumbria Police conducted a social experiment to see how many people would stop and help a man apparently suffering early onset Alzheimer's. Northumbria Police's Engagement Advisor Jemma Woolley and Ch Insp Steve Wykes speak to Policing Insight about why the force took this approach.

INNOVATION: West Yorkshire Police's imaging team has developed an innovative approach to blending 3D laser scanning with CCTV imaging that has led to a raft of convictions. Mike Skicko from Leica Geosystems, which supplied the technology, explains how the process works.

Innovation: what3words is an app that allows users to pinpoint locations to within 3 square metres. Here, founder Chris Sheldrick talks about how police forces have been using the app to successfully find callers in areas that are typically hard to find.

INNOVATION: Humberside T/ACO Justin Partridge leads NETIC, a seven-force collaboration in the north east and the single largest regional collaboration the police service in England and Wales has ever attempted. But with cross-force collaborations enjoying mixed success, Policing Insight asks - why will NETIC succeed where others have failed?

INNOVATION: An award-winning collaboration between academia and police has led to the creation of a new tool to help small businesses increase their cyber-resilience. Project Manager and Research Fellow at CENTRIC Alison Lyle explains how the project came into being and its potential benefits for the business community.

Innovation: Lewis Westbury, a software developer for 15 years, a special constable for almost 10 and now founder and volunteer coordinator of Police Rewired, highlights several interesting pieces of research sourced in Crime Survey of England and Wales data, and the implications for developing practical tools in the fight against crime.

INNOVATION: Children who witness domestic abuse often keep their suffering to themselves or display their feelings through 'acting out' at school. Operation Encompass is a confidential information-sharing scheme between police and schools that aims to identify children early, offering them better support and safeguarding, Syreeta Lund reports.

INNOVATION: Published in 2018, the Government’s Serious Violence Strategy sets out a clear requirement for Police and Crime Commissioners to play their part in tackling the rising tide of violent crime. So how have the PCCs responded to this challenge?

INNOVATION: Automatic Number Plate Recognition is already used to detect various crimes, but Birmingham University researchers have found that combining ANPR data with data on serial sex offences can generate vital new leads for investigators. Forensic Psychologist Professor Jessica Woodhams shares the findings of this award-winning* research.

INNOVATION: When knife crime occurs, video evidence can often hold vital clues but identifying them in amongst volumes of footage is a time-consuming job. Policing Insight contributor and Senior Research Fellow at CENTRIC Andrew Staniforth reports on a project aimed at speeding up the process.