Opinion

Opinion: In the third of three articles, former Australian police officer and public speaker Shane Mallory explores the notion of security in modern culture and what this means for our society.

Opinion: All workplaces have their own 'culture' and policing is no exception. In the second of three articles, former Australian police officer and public speaker Shane Mallory says understanding that workforce culture 'is feeling' is the necessary starting point to enabling change.

OPINION: How sex and gender identity should be defined in law and policy has become one of the most controversial of contemporary debates. The role of the police is in turn a topic of considerable contention. Dr Kath Murray, a Research Fellow at the University of Edinburgh, warns that police forces must acknowledge both perspectives in the debate for the sake of their own legitimacy.

Opinion: In this insightful and thought-provoking blog, Dr Dev Maitra of the University of Suffolk examines the riots that took place in the UK in 2011 and how the subsequent under analysis of what happened hampers our understanding of serious youth violence.

Interview: Social media provides a powerful tool for police to communicate with communities but criminal justice media expert Lauri Stevens tells Policing Insight police forces are not harnessing the full potential of online networks.

INTERVIEW: Former head of the National Crime Agency's Drugs Threat and Intelligence Tony Saggers tells Policing Insight there has never been a 'war on drugs' and the time has come to adopt a different approach to tackling the problem.

Opinion: Policing is in need of a drastic cultural shift away from its current process and control driven state. Former Australian police officer and now public speaker Shane Mallory discusses the fear and suspicion that currently plagues police culture and how to address it.

INTERVIEW: Warwickshire OPCC are to fund 11 road safety organisations as part of a major strategy to reduce casualties following a 160 per cent increase in road this year. Warwickshire PCC Philip Seccombe explains how the strategy will work and Annette Lloyd who runs The Honest Truth tells Policing Insight why her organisation was chosen.

Opinion: Between 2015 and 2017, the cost of organised crime to Australia increased exponentially to $36 billion. Based on the figures, Dr John Coyne from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute argues the current 'Whac-a-Mole' policing approach to tackling the problem isn't working.

Interview: Release's Y-Stop project is by young people for young people, supporting and guiding them on communicating effectively with the police during a Stop and Search. Youth Lead and Associate Researcher Amal Ali talks to Policing Insight about the project and why it's important young people have a voice.

Opinion: The high-profile case of a 15 year-old convicted of trying to build a bomb has highlighted the importance of early intervention to combat extremism, via the Government's Prevent strategy. Policing Insight contributor Andrew Staniforth outlines the tension between free speech and trust in the classroom and the importance of preventing the ever-increasing radicalisation of young people.

Opinion: Health and wellbeing are high on the agenda with many forces looking for ways to offer better support for their employees. Simon Hall, CEO of PoliceBox, says a significant stressor is poor technology. Here he examines its impact on officers' and staff health and wellbeing.

OPINION: The number of rapes reported has soared but convictions are at an all-time low. Ian Wiggett highlights the challenges of a Crown Prosecution Service under pressure, growing demands of disclosure in a digital world and police forces struggling with demand and a shortage of resources.

OPINION: Racial disparities in stop and search has hit the headlines once again in response to an upsurge in violent crime. Dr Rashid Minhas of the University of West London suggests that a lack of diversity in police forces themselves could be contributing to the difference in experiences of stop and search.

Interview: In the second part of our exclusive interview, former Chief Constable of Bedfordshire Jon Boutcher talks about his current role leading the independent investigation into the activities of ‘Stakeknife’, a state agent involved in kidnap, torture and murder by the Provisional IRA in Northern Ireland in the 1980s.

Opinion: Home Secretary Priti Patel recently announced section 60 Stop and Search powers would be relaxed to make the process quicker and more effective. Stop and Search Lead and Chair of Bedfordshire Community Scrutiny Panel Montell Neufville questions this approach along with other 'myths' surrounding stop and search.

INTERVIEW: As terrorists continue to hijack social media to recruit and spread propaganda, cyber terrorism expert Professor Stuart Macdonald tells Policing Insight how terrorists are exploiting smaller platforms and the continuing challenges social media companies face in removing online terrorist content.

Opinion: In a deeply personal account, Australian-based nurse and Mental Health Champion Melissa Gole talks honestly and openly about the impact of living with her partner, a police officer who suffered PTSD after a counter-terror incident, and what helped her through the experience.

Interview: In the first of an exclusive two-part interview, newly-retired Bedfordshire Chief Constable Jon Boutcher tells Policing Insight why race has to be a priority for policing and why, as a 28-year career detective, he’s backing direct entry detective schemes.

OPINION: Machine learning has tremendous possibilities for the police. However, badly used, it could be as controversial as Stop and Search. Paul McFarlane, Senior Teaching Fellow in Security and Crime Science at UCL, argues that the police must avoid 'black box' systems to be accountable for the decisions that algorithms suggest.

interview: A new company has been launched by three UK former senior officers which delivers training in British community policing techniques to police forces around the world. Policing Insight spoke to one of its directors, former Northumbria Police ACC Timothy Shilston, about the international appetite for British policing models.

insight: When examining police suicides, accurate data is hard to come by in the UK and other countries, making it difficult to understand the scale of the problem, but Mightify's Tom Wheelhouse says it's time to take trauma more seriously which means offering support from day one of a person's policing career.

Opinion: Current and newly-retired officers will be able to gain a BSc (Hons) in Policing Studies after completing a one-year 'top-up course' at the University of East London. Director of Policing at the UEL's Centre of Professional Policing (CoPP) and former police officer Dr Sarah Jane Fox explains why it is important that, as the new degree entry scheme comes into being, 'no-one gets left behind'.

insight: As the largest ever haul of heroin is seized in the UK this week, Policing Insight's Keith Potter reports on Deputy Director Investigations at the National Crime Agency Matt Horne's Police Governance Summit presentation on the continuing threat of serious organised crime, hostile states and the importance of a collaborative approach to catching organised criminal groups.