Opinion

OPINION: The Misuse of Drugs Act came into effect half a century ago, and while society, policing, and attitudes to and availability of drugs has changed significantly over those 50 years, the law has not; with billions spent on attempting to tackle an issue that has increased substantially since 1971, policing commentator and former drugs policy lead Ben Twomey believes that both an honest public debate over drugs, and a review of the Act, are long overdue.

OPINION: With Sadiq Khan re-elected as London Mayor, the focus now turns to one of the key issues of the campaign – tackling knife crime; Greg Berman, former Director of New York’s Center for Court Innovation, and Elizabeth Glazer, former Director of the Mayor of New York’s Office of Criminal Justice, believe there are lessons for London in the efforts of New York to tackle its own problem of criminal violence.

INTERVIEW: Advances in technology and the growing demand for digital communication have led to significant changes to police contact management, but the arrival of COVID-19 presented a whole new challenge; Superintendent Aimee Ramm, the National Product Owner for policing’s digital platform Single Online Home, explains how the development team met that challenge, and the continuing evolution of online reporting and contact prompted by the pandemic.

OPINION: As Kazakhstan prepares to celebrate 30 years of independence, Alexei Kalaychidi, Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs and Major General of the Police, explains the efforts the country has made to transform policing through targeting corruption, building public trust and confidence, and enhancing the quality of public service delivery.

OPINION: Levels of violent crime across America saw an unprecedented increase in 2020, and remain worryingly high in 2021; in this latest essay from the Violence Reduction Project, Stephen Eide, a Senior Fellow at the Manhattan Institute, calls for more effective treatment and supervision of those who are mentally ill as an important step towards reducing violence and creating safer communities.

OPINION: The appointment of a new Inspector General of Police in Nigeria has brought about some closure to calls for reform of the country’s security architecture; but as Dr Lanre Ikuteyijo of Obafemi Awolowo University explains, the new incumbent will face a long ‘to do’ list – from rebuilding community relations and improving the police image to rooting out corruption and improving the morale and welfare of officers.

INTERVIEW: In 2019, Northamptonshire Police withdrew from the East Midlands Operational Support Service, bringing its specialist services back within force; and as Chief Constable Nick Adderley told Policing Insight Deputy Editor Sarah Gibbons, the move has resulted in the increased capability of specialist teams, improved response times, and a better service to the public.

OPINION: After a number of high-profile protests over the past year, a community’s successful efforts to prevent the arrest and possible deportation of two men in Glasgow last week may represent a turning point in the public’s willingness to support policing by consent, believes public order expert and former Chief Superintendent Owen West – and that change in approach may bring a significant challenge for UK policing.

Policing Friendship Tour: The impact of Covid on policing by consent, the fight against human trafficking and the future challenges of cross-border policing were just some of the issues discussed as Policing Insight’s Publisher Bernard Rix began his Policing Friendship Tour. Bernard was talking to Devon and Cornwall Chief Constable Shaun Sawyer, who joined him on the first leg of the walking tour, which began in Barnstaple.

OPINION: Levels of violent crime across America saw an unprecedented increase in 2020, and remain worryingly high in 2021; in this latest essay from the Violence Reduction Project, Professor Michael Fortner of City University of New York explores the political limitations of the ‘causal story’ attached to #defund and why a blended reform approach rather than the moral clarity of police abolition will save more lives.

OPINION: The death earlier this year of Mthokozisi Ntumba, shot by police as he walked past a student protest, has highlighted South Africa’s painful history of police using excessive force against protesters; Frans Viljoen, Professor of International Human Rights Law, believes a recently published report on public order policing, and a proposed amendment to the South African Police Act, could be a catalyst for change.

OPINION: The recent announcement that the Home Office is considering new police performance measures for forces in England and Wales drew a strong negative response from the service; Policing Insight’s Ian Wiggett, a former member of the NPCC Performance Management Committee and national lead for continuous improvement, outlines the key concerns around league tables and the inevitable targets that follow, and suggests an alternative approach.

OPINION: Levels of violent crime across America saw an unprecedented increase in 2020, and gun violence remains worryingly high in 2021; in this latest essay from the Violence Reduction Project, Dr Maria (Maki) Haberfeld of New York’s John Jay College of Criminal Justice argues that improving national standards in law enforcement and taking politics out of policing would be much more effective in reducing violence than defunding the police.

OPINION: As the public head to the polls today to vote in local council and police and crime commissioner (PCC) elections, two-term North Yorkshire PCC (becoming one of only four Police, Fire and Crime Commissioners) Julia Mulligan – who is not standing again this year – looks back at her time in office, and explores how commissioners can champion causes, change priorities, focus minds and deliver results as catalysts for reform.

OPINION: In his latest article in relation to the Strategic Review of Policing, Police Foundation Director Dr Rick Muir sets out the key steps needed for an effective crime prevention strategy – including a ‘duty to prevent crime’ on the private sector, a national agency working with big tech to tackle online crime, and Cabinet Office ownership and leadership.

OPINION: At a time when relationships between police and some communities are under growing strain, and in an era when law enforcement is encouraged to engage more positively through social media, there is always a danger that police forces themselves become the ‘fake news’; when that happens it’s important to address the problem quickly and effectively, explains Yael Bar tur, digital communications expert and former NYPD Director of Social Media.

OPINION: Levels of violent crime across America saw an unprecedented increase in 2020, and gun violence remains worryingly high in 2021; in this latest essay from the Violence Reduction Project, DeVone Boggan, CEO of Advance Peace, explains why investing in ‘Violence Interrupters’ – reformed gun offenders operating as mediators, de-escalation experts and violence interventionists – has the real potential to drive change in gun-impacted communities.

OPINION: A more co-ordinated integration of cybercrime and terrorism is leading to the growth of cyber terrorism, warns Western Australia MP and counter-terrorism expert Dr Anne Aly – and more trained experts, extra resources and strong legislation are needed to tackle the terrorist exploitation of the internet.

OPINION: The guilty verdict in the trial of Derek Chauvin for the killing of George Floyd should be the catalyst for fundamental change in US policing, believes Professor Temitope Oriola, who argues that – with 17 disciplinary complaints against him – the fact that Chauvin was still a serving officer suggests the system is broken.

OPINION: Policing, like much of the public sector, is based on a legacy structure, with leaders progressing through the ranks; but Devon and Cornwall Chief Inspector Steve Lenney wonders what would happen if visionary private-sector leaders saw an opportunity to deliver improved policing services and make a profit?

OPINION: News that the Home Office is considering reintroducing league tables for the performance of police forces in England and Wales against six key crime types was criticised last week by police leaders and staff associations; Former chief superintendent Owen West shares some of his own experiences of the negative impact of police targets, and why they can have a damaging effect on community relations.

OPINION: Levels of violent crime across America saw an unprecedented increase in 2020; in this latest essay from the Violence Reduction Project, Nick Selby, former Director of Cyber Intelligence and Investigations for NYPD, sets out why funding mental health teams staffed by clinicians and cops would be a smarter way to reduce violence and deaths.

OPINION: In the latest in his series of bi-monthly articles, Superintendent Simon Nelson, President of the Disabled Police Association, looks at the unnecessary impact of the job-related fitness test on those with disabilities, and calls for a wider conversation about the appropriateness of the test for a changing workforce.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: Involved in policing for over 30 years, the end of 2020 marked Mike Cunningham’s departure from his pivotal role as Chief Executive of the College of Policing (CoP). This year, continuing on his mission to drive change across the sector, Mike has joined Skills for Justice as an associate; here he talks with Toby Lindsay, Principal Consultant for Leadership, Management and Organisation Development (OD), about the skills he deems essential to the future of policing.