Interview

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 Ian Stanier, Visiting Lecturer at Buckingham University’s Centre for Security and Intelligence, about the importance of CHIS and HUMINT, expanding the capability and capacity of UK covert investigations, and the FIREPLACES informant motivation model.

POLICING FRIENDSHIP TOUR: World Health Organization Policing Consultant Professor Karl Roberts believes forces responded “incredibly well” to the pandemic, but should build closer relationships with public health agencies to improve the response to future challenges, as he explained to Policing Insight Publisher Bernard Rix on a recent leg of the Policing Friendship Walking Tour.

INTERVIEW: In her recent speech to the NPCC / APCC Partnership Summit, Victims’ Commissioner Dame Vera Baird highlighted the challenges in tackling violence against women and addressing the issue of domestic abusers within police ranks, as well as the opportunity for policing to lead the way on cultural change; this week she spoke to Policing Insight Editor Keith Potter to expand on those concerns, and suggest steps towards restoring confidence among victims.

INTERVIEW: Police can easily find themselves on the wrong end of a social media storm, either from online trolls or as a result of edited footage; but for recently appointed West Mercia Chief Constable Pippa Mills, Twitter provides an opportunity to engage with the public, praise staff and support colleagues, as she explained to Policing Insight Deputy Editor Sarah Gibbons.

POLICING FRIENDSHIP TOUR: Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) David Sidwick is the joint lead on addiction and substance misuse for the Association of PCCs; on a recent leg of the Policing Friendship Walking Tour he explained to Policing Insight Publisher Bernard Rix how the death of a close friend’s teenage daughter through an MDMA overdose, as well as his own career in pharmaceuticals, had motivated him to take up the role.

POLICING FRIENDSHIP TOUR: Policing could already benefit from the significant advances available in modern technology, according to Allan Fairley of Accenture UK – but he believes the real barriers to progress are politics and personal agendas, as he explained to Policing Insight Publisher Bernard Rix on a recent leg of the Policing Friendship Walking Tour.

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 Jack Spicer, a Criminology Lecturer at the University of the West of England, about county lines, cuckooing, and the importance of police and academics having “the difficult conversations at the start of a project”.

INTERVIEW: Cheshire Detective Sergeant Mark Naylor has delivered many powerful presentations on the suffering of sexual abuse victims, but it is not until well into the sessions that he reveals the experiences he is discussing are his own; this award-winning officer spoke to Policing Insight Deputy Editor Sarah Gibbons about the emotional and mental impact of abuse, the need for victims to take back control, and how forces can improve the service they deliver.

POLICING FRIENDSHIP TOUR: National Police Chiefs’ Council Chair Martin Hewitt believes UK policing is facing a defining challenge in relation to public trust and confidence – one which will require officers and organisations to listen to and learn from those who experience prejudice – as he explained to Policing Insight Publisher Bernard Rix on a recent leg of the Policing Friendship Walking Tour.

POLICING FRIENDSHIP TOUR: Surrey Chief Constable Gavin Stephens, head of the NPCC Finance Co-ordination Committee, says this year’s pay freeze was a “bitter blow” for officers, but believes there are still plenty of opportunities to find efficiency gains in UK policing, as he explained to Policing Insight Publisher Bernard Rix during a recent leg of the Policing Friendship Walking Tour.

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 James Windle, a Criminology Lecturer at University College Cork, about situational crime prevention, suppressing opium cultivation, and how he sees organised crime and the illegal drugs market evolving over the next decade.

POLICING FRIENDSHIP TOUR: West Mercia Police Community Support Officer Aidan Goundry believes introducing a limited promotion framework for PCSOs could help forces to retain experience and local engagement; he’s also preparing to embark on an international charity project delivering ambulances to The Gambia, as he explained to Policing Insight Publisher Bernard Rix during a recent leg of the Policing Friendship Walking Tour.

POLICING FRIENDSHIP TOUR: Sopra Steria’s Public Safety MD Paul Bergin believes policing already has the technology to predict future crimes and identify future criminals; the bigger question is how that tech and data is used ethically, as he explained to Policing Insight Publisher Bernard Rix on a recent leg of the Policing Friendship Walking Tour.

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 Michael Skidmore, a Senior Researcher at UK policing think tank the Police Foundation, whose numerous research projects include recent work on combatting fraud, and on the effectiveness of law enforcement in tackling online child sexual abuse.

POLICING FRIENDSHIP TOUR: Durham Police and Crime Commissioner Joy Allen believes some gambling companies are on a par with drug dealers when it comes to targeting those with disorders and addictions, and the resulting harms can often include acquisitive crime; it’s an issue which she hopes the APCC will be able to tackle in partnership with other agencies, as she explained to Policing Insight Publisher Bernard Rix on a recent leg of the Policing Friendship Walking Tour.

POLICING FRIENDSHIP TOUR: Marc Jones, Chair of the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC), is keen for PCCs to play a greater role in improving the criminal justice system for the public; but he’s also concerned that some election candidates may have fuelled public confusion over the role of a PCC and overpromised on what they could deliver, as he explained to Policing Insight Publisher Bernard Rix on a recent leg of the Policing Friendship Walking Tour.

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 Susanne Knabe-Nicol, Lecturer in Criminology at Middlesex University and owner of PoliceScienceDr.com, about her research, efforts to turn academic findings into practical resources, and the potential of geographic profiling in tackling organised crime.

POLICING FRIENDSHIP TOUR: Former Lancashire Chief Constable Andy Rhodes, now Service Director of Oscar Kilo, is “passionate” about providing support for officers and staff, and believes the new Police Covenant will improve welfare for those in policing from the moment they join the job until retirement and beyond, as he explained to Policing Insight Publisher Bernard Rix on a recent leg of the Policing Friendship Tour.

POLICING FRIENDSHIP TOUR: Cleveland Police and Crime Commissioner Steve Turner believes officers were almost ashamed of admitting where they worked, after the force faced a series of challenges, controversies and critical inspections; now he’s determined to put pride back into the county’s policing, as he explained to Policing Insight Publisher Bernard Rix on a recent leg of the Policing Friendship Tour.

INTERVIEW: In the second in a series of interviews with leading figures involved in the research and investigation of organised crime, Policing Insight’s Chris Allen spoke to Professor Julian Richards, Director of the Buckingham University Centre for Security and Intelligence Studies (BUCSIS) and interim Associate Dean for the University’s School of Humanities and Social Sciences, on how his career has developed, his current research and plans for future projects, and the key challenges presented by organised crime moving forwards.

Interview: Transferring into An Garda Síochána from Toronto Police, Deputy Commissioner Shawna Coxon wondered how she would be received as 'an outsider' implementing their reform programme. She needn't have worried. Here she tells Policing Insight's Deputy Editor Sarah Gibbons about the warm welcome she's received, her frustrations at COVID restrictions limiting her walks on the beat and how the culturally rich policing style has her smitten.

POLICING FRIENDSHIP TOUR: Avon and Somerset PCC Mark Shelford is leading the force’s hunt to find a new chief constable following the departure of Andy Marsh; but while traditionally the top job has been filled by existing chiefs or deputies, the force is widening the recruitment pool to include assistant chief constables and overseas applicants who possess the right leadership and Peelian qualities, as Mr Shelford explained to Policing Insight Publisher Bernard Rix on a recent leg of the Policing Friendship Tour.

INTERVIEW: In the first in a series of interviews with leading figures involved in the research and investigation of organised criminals, Policing Insight’s Chris Allen spoke to Dr Anna Sergi, Associate Professor in Criminology at the University of Essex and an expert on the Mafia, on how her career has developed, her current research and plans for future projects, and the key challenges presented by organised crime moving forwards.

POLICING FRIENDSHIP TOUR: Policing Insight Publisher Bernard Rix’s Policing Friendship Tour recently caught up with Bedfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner Festus Akinbusoye, to walk and talk about the policing challenges facing the county including the disproportionality in the number of Black and Asian stabbing victims and offenders, the importance of stop and search – done properly and lawfully – and the task of tackling county lines drugs.