Opinion

OPINION: Recent campaigns have led to longer sentences for those who assault emergency services workers, but a new report from Transform Justice analyses why such sanctions are not working; Transform Justice Director Penelope Gibbs believes better support for staff, improved training and alternative responses to those in mental health crisis may be more effective.

OPINION: Recent operations by the Australian Federal Police against organised crime have brought the activities of the ‘ndrangheta Calabrian mafia under the spotlight; but Professor of Criminology Dr Anna Sergi argues that the organisation has been well-established across Australia for many decades, and any attempt to take the ‘ndrangheta seriously will require sustained political will and resources, rather than a sporadic focus on drug importation.

OPINION: Former police officer and police and crime commissioner Martyn Underhill urges police forces in the UK to adopt and exploit the potential of existing technologies and systems to keep pace in the digital world – particularly in the face of ongoing financial challenges and budgetary constraints.

FEATURE: The recently published Police Race Action Plan has prompted more discussion around the issues of racial disparity and institutional racism in UK policing; but for Dr Kul Verma, a former officer and now a leadership coach and diversity and inclusion adviser, attempts to address issues around race in policing will be doomed to fail without brave conversations based on evidence rather than opinion.

OPINION: New race-based data released by Toronto Police Service has highlighted that nearly a third of all Indigenous people arrested were strip-searched, while one in every three people who were strip-searched were Black; Monika Lemke, a PhD candidate at Canada’s York University, argues that as well as the disproportionality, strip searches are ineffective and unnecessary, and should be stopped.

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.

OPINION: The introduction of the Domestic Abuse Act in the UK recognised children who witness or experience domestic violence and abuse (DVA) as victims for the first time; but Dr Jade Levell of the University of Bristol, author of 'Boys, Childhood Domestic Abuse, and Gang Involvement', believes boy child survivors of DVA remain largely overlooked, at least until they come under closer scrutiny of the criminal justice system as members of gangs.

OPINION: This week’s annual conference of the Policing Institute for the Eastern Region (PIER) supported by media partner Policing Insight, focuses on instigating change in the fight against child sexual abuse; ahead of the start of the two-day event, PIER Director Professor Samantha Lundrigan discusses the crucial importance of applied research in the field of public protection, and the positive change that is coming from these partnerships.

OPINION: Chinese efforts to secure a deal with the Pacific islands that includes security matters such as training police have caused concern among policymakers across the region; but Dr John Coyne, head of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s Northern Australia Strategic Policy Centre, believes the long and strong policing ties between the islands and their colleagues in Australia and New Zealand will prove durable in the face of China’s open chequebook.

OPINION: The global response to the Covid pandemic highlighted that in many countries, public health and law enforcement have operated in silos for far too long; Professor Nick Crofts, Executive Director of the Global Law Enforcement and Public Health Association, explores the ever-closer coupling of public health and policing, including a forthcoming forum organised to champion their convergence.

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.

OPINION: With UK policing resources under ever-greater pressure, a multi-agency approach to tackling anti-social behaviour – particularly through the consistent use of much-misunderstood Public Spaces Protection Orders – can have significant benefits for both communities and policing, argues Dyl Kurpil, Managing Director of District Enforcement.

FEATURE: China is increasing its efforts to secure a Pacific islands policing, security and data communications deal; but by working in partnership with island nations to improve gender equality and empower women in policing, Australia could enhance its own influence and support in the region, says Dr Melissa Jardine, an international police consultant and former Victoria police officer.

OPINION: UK police forces are often confronted by generic administrative challenges and financial constraints, yet many opt for their own individual approach to dealing with such difficulties; Tim Scammell of software specialists SAP believes that by implementing the ‘adopt rather than adapt’ backroom mantra of many business organisations, policing could increase efficiencies and improve funding for the frontline.

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.

OPINION: As the sequel to one of the world’s greatest action movies hits the big screen, Acting Superintendent Stephen Lenney of Devon and Cornwall Police considers what law enforcement can learn from the Top Gun franchise, and why focusing on noise, rather than the object causing it, can create problems for both plane spotting and policing.

OPINION: The Police Race Action Plan for England and Wales was published this week. British Transport Police Chief Constable Lucy D'Orsi explains what needs to happen to ensure the plan brings about meaningful and sustainable change.

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.

FEATURE: Dr John Coyne, head of ASPI’s Northern Australia Strategic Policy Centre and strategic policing and law enforcement program, outlines the role of the Australian Federal Police (AFP) in an ever-changing geo-political environment.

OPINION: The latest Internet Watch Foundation report highlighted an exponential rise in online child sexual abuse; former Chief Constable and NPCC child protection lead Simon Bailey, now Chair of the Policing Institute for the Eastern Region, believes that tech companies hold the key to improving protection for children, but are leaving them at risk as they focus on chasing profits.

OPINION: The EU’s recently agreed Digital Services Act and the UK Government’s Online Safety Bill are the latest attempts to target illegal online content, particularly on social media platforms; but Dr Greig Paul of the University of Strathclyde believes that the struggles to balance moderation with free speech, and the sheer scale of social media, means that such efforts are unlikely to succeed.