Interview

INTERVIEW: In the latest in a series of interviews with leading figures involved in the research and investigation of organised crime, Virginia Comolli, Senior Expert at the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime (GI-TOC), spoke to Policing Insight’s Chris Allen about the illicit trade in plastic waste, the success of urban security in transforming Medellín, and the importance of investigating organised crime’s role in child sexual exploitation and abuse.

INTERVIEW: Trauma-informed leadership (TIL) builds on a foundation of recognizing and understanding the mental and emotional scars and challenges that officers may be experiencing; Policing Insight’s Christine Townsend spoke to law enforcement psychologist Dr David Black about the potential benefits of TIL, the risks of generational trauma, and how giving leaders the opportunity to share stories can have a positive impact on them and their staff.

INTERVIEW: Ahead of next week’s London Policing College workshop on cybercrime and fraud, workshop chair Dr Stuart Hyde (the former Chief Constable of Cumbria and a cybercrime specialist) talked to Policing Insight about the need for an improved government response to the challenge, the importance of collaboration between industry and policing, and why Action Fraud is currently not fit for purpose.

FEATURE: The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) recently launched its new Police Encounter Panels (PEPs) to provide feedback on the use of force by officers and build closer relationships with the community; MPS Inspector Zed Asghar spoke to Policing Insight’s Keith Potter about the aim of the PEPs, and how virtual reality technology was offering Panel members greater insight into the difficult decisions officers face.

INTERVIEW: Ahead of next week’s London Policing College workshop on tackling violence against women and girls, and the lessons learned from Operation Soteria Bluestone, workshop facilitator Parm Sandhu (a former Metropolitan Police Chief Superintendent who specialised in VAWG) talked to Policing Insight about improving the sharing of best practice, the need to identify cost-neutral measures, and the internal police cultures that still need to be overcome.

INTERVIEW: In the second part of his interview with Policing Insight, Superintendents’ Association President Paul Fotheringham spoke to Keith Potter about the structural and operational challenges facing the rank, the pressures on measuring and improving performance, and the importance of focusing on wellbeing and good leadership.

INTERVIEW: Paul Fotheringham took up his post as President of the Superintendents’ Association in March, with policing facing a range of operational and structural challenges, and concerns over pay, pensions, and conditions; after three months in post, he spoke to Policing Insight Editor Keith Potter, and in the first of a two-part interview explores the strained relationship with government, and why there might be cause for optimism.

INTERVIEW: In the latest in a series of interviews with leading figures involved in the research and investigation of organised crime, Policing Insight’s Chris Allen spoke to Emma Jones, Deputy Head of Intelligence at the Intellectual Property Office (IPO), about the importance of multi-agency approaches, the strength of the IPO’s Project POISE, and the worrying lack of separation between consumers and organised crime.

FEATURE: Organised crime groups (OCGs) are testing New Zealand’s reputation as one of the least corrupt countries in the world; Matt Chatterton of the New Zealand Police Association looks at the OCG challenges facing policing, and talks to Detective Inspector Paul Newman of the force’s National Organised Crime Group about the efforts being made to counter the threat.

INTERVIEW: As a number of cities across the US attempt to deal with an apparent rise in violent crime, Policing Insight’s Christine Townsend spoke to Prof Michael Smith of the University of Texas at San Antonio who, with colleagues from UTSA and in collaboration with the leadership and officers of Dallas PD, has developed an evidence-based plan to target violent crime that is already delivering results for the city.

INTERVIEW: In the latest in a series of interviews with leading figures involved in the research and investigation of organised crime, Policing Insight’s Chris Allen spoke to Dr Mary Alice Young, Associate Professor of Transnational Organised Crime and Policy at the University of the West of England, about understanding policy failures, the undermining of organised crime control, and why viewing criminal enterprises in a business context leads to better policy solutions.

FEATURE: Service Dogs UK provides assistance dogs to members of the police and military suffering from PTSD, and has been described as ‘a life saver’ by those it supports; but the charity believes police agencies are holding back on funding amid fears that it could “open the floodgates” to traumatised applicants, as Policing Insight Deputy Editor Sarah Gibbons discovered when she spoke to charity founder Sgt Garry Botterill.

INTERVIEW: The extensive and in some cases excessive searches of victims’ mobile phones and medical records in rape and serious sexual assault cases have reportedly prompted many victims to withdraw from the prosecution process; Policing Insight’s Christine Townsend spoke to UK Information Commissioner John Edwards about his report published today, which sets out new parameters and guidelines on the gathering and use of digital evidence from victims.

POLICING FRIENDSHIP TOUR: Demands have grown but tackling them is so complex that it is undermining common-sense policing, West Midlands Chief Constable Sir David Thompson QPM tells Policing Insight and PolicingTV Publisher Bernard Rix who met Sir David for a walk-and-talk as part of his Policing Friendship Tour across the British Isles and around the world, meeting people across the spectrum of policing.

INTERVIEW: In the latest in a series of interviews with leading figures involved in the research and investigation of organised crime, Policing Insight’s Chris Allen spoke to Jennifer Yates, Lead Intelligence Analyst at the Intellectual Property Office, about the links between intellectual property crime and organised crime groups, the Pandemic Wall of Risk, and the importance of collaboration and information sharing.

INTERVIEW: People with a disability form the single largest minority group in the US, and their interactions with law enforcement can often have damaging yet avoidable outcomes; Policing Insight’s Christine Townsend spoke to Dr Stephanie Zoltowski – and some of those she has trained – about the importance of improving police and first responders’ knowledge and understanding of disability and neurodiversity.

INTERVIEW: Former College of Policing CEO Mike Cunningham QPM started his policing career at Lancashire Constabulary in 1987, becoming Assistant Chief Constable in 2005, before joining the not-for-profit Skills for Justice in 2021 to support the professional development of officers and staff in policing; Policing Insight caught up with him to hear about his latest work, including the Inspire Justice Awards, which will launch next month.

FEATURE: With policing under ever-increasing scrutiny over the use of force, a new programme launched by America’s Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is looking to improve understanding among the media and the public about law enforcement use-of-force policies and the split-second decisions officers may need to take, as Policing Insight’s Christine Townsend reports.

INTERVIEW: Ahead of this week’s Police Digital Summit, and a year after his interview for CoPaCC’s Future Police Contact Management report, PSNI ACC Alan Todd, the NPCC lead for contact management, spoke to Policing Insight about the digital contact developments over the past 12 months, the challenges still ahead, and next month’s launch of a new British Sign Language video relay service for emergency calls.

INTERVIEW: In the latest in a series of interviews with leading figures involved in the research and investigation of organised crime, Policing Insight’s Chris Allen spoke to financial crime consultant Richard Gould about enabling financial investigators to “cause mayhem in the criminal community”, the ongoing challenge of trade-based money laundering, and why the decision to discontinue some the UK’s international law enforcement projects was so misguided.

INTERVIEW: As LAPD’s Director of Police Training and Education, Dr Luann Pannell is using her insight as a psychologist to reshape the Department’s training approach and ensure resilience and good mental health receive as much focus as procedures and practical skills, as she explained to Policing Insight’s Christine Townsend.

INTERVIEW: New Zealand Police Senior Sergeant Steve Harwood has led disaster victim identification (DVI) teams in the wake of some of the world’s largest mass casualty events; and while officers and staff are driven by the desire to reunite grieving relatives with the remains of their loved ones, the mental and physical wellbeing of those teams must also be a priority, as he explained to Policing Insight Deputy Editor Sarah Gibbons.

INTERVIEW: Boulder PD Chief Maris Herold has a wealth of policing experience, including at the forefront of significant reform; she spoke to Policing Insight’s Christine Townsend about the holistic governance approach, the importance of involving communities and other agencies in tackling gun crime, and why police departments need to focus more strongly on prevention rather than reaction.

INTERVIEW: In the latest in a series of interviews with leading figures involved in the research and investigation of organised crime, Policing Insight’s Chris Allen spoke to criminologist and author Professor Dick Hobbs about the impossibility of eradicating organised crime, the importance of localised knowledge in understanding criminal activity, and whether the term ‘organised crime’ really has any value.