Opinion

INTERVIEW: As terrorists continue to find new and creative ways in which to use the internet to progress and promote their violent and extremist causes, cyber expert Professor Stuart Macdonald, Director of the Cyber Threats Research Centre (CYTREC) at Swansea University, spoke to Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth about ways in which how police officers can engage, support, and participate in research to investigate terrorism and the use of social media.

OPINION: The death of a female passenger on a Toronto bus who died from severe burns after being set on fire by her killer is the latest example of violence and hate experienced by women and girls in Canada; Professor Myrna Dawson of the University of Guelph believes that, with ‘sex’ already an identifiable group within the Canadian Criminal Code, it’s time for such attacks to be treated as hate crimes.

OPINION: Policing is well aware of the performance and procedural justice scrutiny it faces in its external relationships; but Detective Chief Inspector Alisa Wilson of Lancashire Constabulary, who retires from policing this week after 21 years in the service, believes that a stronger leadership commitment to wellbeing and internal procedural justice, reinforced by the new Police Covenant, could truly change policing culture.

OPINION: With the UK Government’s levelling-up plans and goals to reduce homicide, serious violence and neighbourhood crime by 2030, police and crime commissioners and policy makers will be looking to evidence-based solutions to tackle crime; Jon Yates, Executive Director of the Youth Endowment Fund, believes the Fund’s toolkit could provide valuable resources for successfully targeting youth violence.

OPINION: The International Criminal Court (ICC) was set up during a unique period of global co-operation, but has faced criticism for its failure to hold the US and other major powers to account; however, Dr Matt Killingsworth, Senior Lecturer in International Relations at the University of Tasmania, believes the ICC has played a valuable role in creating expectations that global justice can be realised.

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.

OPINION: The wellbeing of police officers and staff has been a growing cause for concern in the wake of a series of challenges, including austerity cuts putting pressure on police numbers, and the impact of Covid on workloads, welfare, and the relationship with the public; James Scott, CEO & Co-Founder of the Thrive app, believes technology could and should play a greater role in the wellbeing and engagement of officers and staff.

OPINION: Over the last two decades, organised crime – and the motivations and modus operandi of its actors – has become much better understood, and the subject of a wide variety of books, with the best offering valuable insights for the public, police and academics alike; Policing Insight’s Chris Allen takes a look at some of the essential texts on organised crime, in time to add to your holiday reading list.

OPINION: Violent extremism is on the rise globally, and in countries such as Pakistan, vulnerable young people are routinely targeted and manipulated by extremist groups; new research by PhD student Umair Asif and Professor Tegwen Gadais of the Université du Québec à Montréal, and Associate Professor Simon Rosenbaum of UNSW Sydney, highlights the valuable role that sport can play in countering violent extremism and terrorism.

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.

OPINION: Despite the high murder rate in Kenya’s capital city of Nairobi, few cases ever make it to the courts; Dr Douglas Lucas Kivoi of the Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis believes that poor evidence gathering, police negligence and recklessness, a lack of forensic capability and claims of police involvement in extra-judicial killings are among the reasons behind the failure to solve so many murders, and sets out some key steps to address the issues.

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.

OPINION: The decriminalization of hard drugs such as cocaine and MDMA in Canada’s British Columbia province follows many years of campaigners calling for a public health approach; Professor Andrew Hathaway of the University of Guelph looks at the background to the decision, and considers what lessons can be learned from similar processes undertaken in other countries.

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.

OPINION: In the same month that Lord Geidt resigned as ‘ethics adviser’ to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the Government also published its response to proposals for the reform of data protection laws, advocating a seemingly light touch on the governance and scrutiny of the police use of technology; Dr Marion Oswald, Chair of the West Midlands Police Data Ethics Committee, believes the two topics are linked by the importance of accountability and standards.

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.