Opinion

Interview: As the end of their first year in office approaches, Policing Insight talks to Police and Crime Commissioners about their successes and challenges. In the first of a new series, Lincolnshire PCC Marc Jones reflects on the last 12 months in post.

Digital Policing Review: Vigilant Research’s first Digital Policing Review report launches on Thursday, and director Stephen Roberts argues that policing really can learn from the likes of Uber and Airbnb.

OPINION: Police cells are no place for people in mental health crisis, but new legal provisions due to come in will allow their detention in 'exceptional circumstances'. Serving officer Nathan Constable warns that people presenting as violent and unmanageable - the symptoms of 'excited delirium' - are the most likely to be detained, but also the most at risk from restraint.

OPINION: Direct entry is a controversial topic, and has generated a lot of debate. While few would argue that those who have joined through the scheme are dedicated and sincere, policing commentator Graham Wettone argues that nothing can replace direct experience of policing - especially at Inspector level.

OPINION: The Direct Entry debate has returned to the headlines in recent weeks with the suggestion that Chief Constables might in future be drawn from outside the service. Supt. Maggie Blyth, one of the first Direct Entry superintendents, says there's a huge amount of talent in policing - but there still might be advantages in looking outside.

OPINION: There has been a lot of recent debate about degree-level entry and the 'professionalisation' of policing. Emma Williams of Canterbury Christ Church University has been heavily involved in work to recognise serving officers' existing skills and capacities. Here, she outlines what 'Recognition of Prior Experiential Learning' will mean.

OPINION: Policing research used to be dominated by research on the police, designed, directed and carried out by academic researchers. However, recent years have seen a move towards co-production of research with police. Sean Butcher, a PhD student at the University of Leeds, reports from a workshop on the challenges of co-production, and how this move might be sustained.

OPINION: There is an ongoing debate within policing about the value of academic input, and whether evidence-based policing can offer the kind of knowledge that policing needs. Chief Superintendent Owen West looks at the arguments, and calls for academic collaboration to confront the politics of knowledge within the police service itself.

OPINION: Rural crime costs millions of pounds and can be devastating for victims – but is often overshadowed by urban demand. Cambridgeshire PCC Jason Ablewhite, who grew up on a farm, explains how the Rural Crime Action team - many of whom have farming backgrounds themselves - is building confidence in the police in rural communities.  

Interview: The company behind the TASER  X2 hopes its latest device will boost public reassurance and police accountability, but Matt Spencer, MD, Axon Public Safety, says changes to the latest model are just the beginning of a technological revolution in policing. 

OPINION: Degree level entry to the police is a hugely controversial issue for many serving officers, who feel that the proposals undermine them - but is this fair? Serving officer Dan Reynolds examines the Police Educational Qualifications Framework and what it offers for those already in the force.

OPINION: Direct Entry has been met with some hostility from police officers - but what is the problem it's meant to solve? Serving officer Gareth Stubbs looks at the insularity of the police service and what Direct Entry might offer to forces.

OPINION: At a time when police are facing significant organisational change, it's increasingly important that rank and file officers are engaged with this process. Emma Williams of Canterbury Christ Church University makes the case for listening more closely to officers - and backs @West_Response's call for the introduction of a front line impact assessment.

Exclusive: The Minister for Policing and the Fire Service, responds to a recent article in Policing Insight critical of the Emergency Services Network. Brandon Lewis MP explains why the government is working to move from the TETRA radio communications system, known as Airwave, currently in use by the police, ambulance and fire and rescue service, to a national integrated network using 4G Long Term Evolution mobile technology

OPINION: The death of Ian Tomlinson in 2009 during the G20 protests led to a fundamental re-examination of public order policing in the UK. But why has that learning not been embedded in the policing of football crowds? Chief Superintendent Owen West of West Yorkshire Police reports from an expert seminar at Keele University, and asks what are the police waiting for?

OPINION: Surveillance cameras have proliferated in recent years, leading the government to establish a commissioner responsible for overseeing their governance. Prof. William Webster examines the Commissioner's new strategy for surveillance - and warns that any regulatory framework needs to be able to keep up with a rapid pace of change.

Opinion: The safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults has scarcely been out of the headlines in recent years. Chief Constables and Police and Crime Commissioners have reiterated their commitment to making safeguarding a priority and improving their response. But well-publicised failings relating to late intervention and subsequent loss of life have sadly been all too common. Imran Razzaq, Director, Public Sector, MarkLogic UK, Ireland & EU, examines the issues.

OPINION: What do we think of when we think of police leadership? Serving officer Gareth Stubbs warns that traditional perceptions of how leaders look and behave may no longer be fit for purpose given the challenges facing policing.

OPINION: Many serving officers may feel that the College of Policing is a distant organisation, doing things to them, rather than for them. Serving officer Dan Reynolds makes a critical appraisal of the work of the College and how its work can be beneficial for officers on the ground.

Opinion: Former chief constable of the British Transport Police Andy Trotter OBE QPM, reflects on the terror attack that took place in London last week and the challenges it presents the service. 

OPINION: Following the attack on Westminster, the focus has rightly been on the bravery and sacrifice of the uniformed public services. But behind the scenes, the work of communications staff prevented the public's horror from turning into panic. Dan Slee of comms2point0 analyses the public sector comms response.

OPINION: Sir Hugh Orde, former PSNI Chief Constable and President of the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), provides a personal perspective on the Westminster attack, and identifies key challenges that police leaders now face.

OPINION: Ethnography has one of the longest traditions in police research. Dr Mike Rowe of Liverpool University explains how ethnographic research can offer an understanding of the work and role of police officers that other types of research cannot reach.

OPINION: If academia is serious about working with the police, does it need to make its research outputs more useful to those who might use them? Emma Williams of Canterbury Christ Church University makes the case for integrating practitioners into the process of research at every level.