Opinion

INTERVIEW: The National Apprenticeship Scheme is an alternative route for young people to progress into a rewarding career. For 18 year old Rebecca Suddaby, a one year administration apprenticeship at the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Humberside has led to her gaining valuable experience to achieve her dream of becoming a police officer. We speak with Rebecca to hear her story….

Opinion: With twenty-five years policing experience under his belt, Devon and Cornwall Chief Inspector Stephen Lenney takes a closer look at frontline policing and the pressures it faces and asks whether it is time for a complete rethink on policing and its processes.

OPINION: The second of a new series of articles providing a platform for police and crime commissioners (PCCs) to look back on the first half of their current term, highlighting their achievements so far and ambitions for the remainder of their term. Hardyal Dhindsa the PCC for Derbyshire gives an example of the PCC's ability to drive change through partnership.

OPINION: With police forces in the U.S. and elsewhere investing widely in technology solutions to tackle crime, James R. Sisco argues that an approach blending technology, data, and human understanding is required to deliver strategies that rebuild trust and set the conditions necessary for policing techniques to be effective.

Opinion: Hoax calls are the bane of the emergency services. One force alone received 1,333 such calls in 2017, but how do you stop callers wasting precious police time and resources? Kathryn Jeffrey of APD Communications offers a solution to the problem.

OPINION: Allan Fairley, UK Police & Justice Managing Director for Accenture, works with a range of public sector, police and justice clients. In his latest article, Allan provides his thoughts on how robotics and automation can help officers and staff have more time for engaging with their communities.

OPINION: The first of a new series of articles providing a platform for police and crime commissioners (PCCs) to look back on the first half of their current term, highlighting their achievements so far and ambitions for the remainder of their term. We start with the thoughts of Lord Willy Bach, the PCC for Leicestershire

Opinion: Does the word feedback make you shudder? In our series on improving performance in the workplace, Jonathan Rees, owner of Momoho and and an expert in developing high-performing teams in the bluelight sector, shows how the process can be a positive experience.

Police Governance Summit 2018: At this year’s Police Governance Summit 2018, Humberside OPCC Chief Executive Rachel Cook explored the role of leadership in ensuring OPCCs attract and retain the right people to influence success. The following is an abridged version of her presentation.

Q&A: Analytical and data processing software firm Forensic Analytics is the latest company to collaborate with The Police ICT Company, having recently been recognised on its Vendor Management Programme. Forensic Analytics Managing Director and co-founder Joe Hoy  gives his insight into the challenges facing policing in this space and how the collaboration with The Police ICT Company has simplified the procurement process.

Police Governance Summit 2018: At this year’s Police Governance Summit 2018, Kathie Cashell, Director of Strategy and Impact for the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) discussed the newly-established IOPC and the implications for police governance. Policing Insight reports on her presentation.

Opinion: Next year, the new Office for Communications Data Authorisations (OCDA) goes live. Interim CEO Shainila Pradhan explains the changes and the organisation's ambition to offer law enforcement a world class service.

OPINION: Can graduates be trained to be detectives in just twelve weeks? Or is the experience gained from time on the street vital to understanding the job? Prof. Stuart Kirby of the University of Central Lancashire weighs the evidence.

Opinion: With policing under enormous strain against an ever-changing criminal landscape, former SIO and now with Sustainable Criminal Justice Solutions Adrian Kingswell draws parallels with the conditions that led to the 1962 Royal Commission on Policing and asks if the time is ripe for another one.

Opinion: Sharing big data holds enormous potential for policing, but it's a journey the fire service embarked on some years ago. Evan Morris MBE, former Head of Community Safety for Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service and the Chief Fire Officers' Association lead on Ageing Safely Strategy outlines the fire services experience and the benefits to be had.

OPINION: In her presentation at this year’s Police Governance Summit 2018, Independent Chair for Lincolnshire Police Ethics Committee Cate Moore explored how ethical considerations can influence and inform good governance to deliver the public good. The following is an abridged version of her presentation.

OPINION: The cosmetic store Lush has suspended its 'spy cops' campaign after complaints that the displays were damaging and offensive to ordinary officers. Dr Kelly J. Stockdale of York St John University argues that the resistance to the Lush campaign shows that the police and government are still unwilling to respond to changing police priorities.

OPINION: The issue of degree-level entry for police officers has been much discussed in recent weeks. Carina O'Reilly, an editor at Policing Insight and also both an academic and a local councillor, argues that the ongoing controversy is one of legitimacy - and offers some lessons from local government on how to resolve it.

OPINION: In the wake of the ongoing debate over new police entry routes and the Police Educational Qualification Framework, Emma Williams of Canterbury Christ Church University argues that knowledge in policing needs to be recognised as reflexive, and police education as a two-way process.

OPINION: Business Lead for Digital Policing for West Yorkshire Police Chief Inspector Ian Williams explores his force's digital transformation and what a difference the right application can make to frontline policing.

Opinion: Giles Herdale, co-chair of the Independent Digital Ethics Panel for Policing (IDEPP), explains the importance of ethics in digital policing and the role of the panel in ensuring forces factor ethics into their digital policing programmes from the outset.

OPINION: Though recorded crime has fallen over the last decade, demand is rising, and policing vulnerability is the order of the day. Serving officer Martin Gallagher argues that the focus has shifted too far: police need to take a step back from these multiple demands and focus on traditional police work.

OPINION: The will to share data in policing exists, but the mechanisms to do so remain unwieldy. Boyd Mulvey, CEO of Chorus Intelligence, argues that removing the barriers demonstrates what can be achieved and will encourage greater sharing.

OPINION: Following on from his presentation at this year's Modernising Justice Conference on unpacking Greater Manchester Police's mobile revolution, Chief Superintendent Phil Davies, Director of GMP's Information Services Transformation, shares the lessons learnt from the process.