Opinion

Interview: The Essex Police and Crime Commissioner is leading the race to become the first Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner. Catherine Levin asks Roger Hirst about the urgency, benefits and costs of taking on responsibility for Essex County Fire and Rescue Service (ECFRS)

OPINION: The College of Policing recently announced three future entry streams to policing, one of which was a pre-entry degree qualification. Serving officer Rich Honess outlines his suggestions as to how those degrees might be structured, based on his previous experience of teacher training.

OPINION: Research by the PSAEW into public protection units (PPUs) in police forces across England and Wales explored how cultural attitudes are creating difficulties for the recruitment, retention, morale and effectiveness of PPU. Gavin Thomas of the PSAEW argues that a change in police culture from blame to learning could help to overcome many of these difficulties.

OPINION: A recent survey of Metropolitan Police officers suggested that, while few wanted to be routinely armed, as many as three quarters of officers would like to be able to carry Tasers on duty. However, Professor Peter Squires of the University of Brighton argues that doing so could make the public less rather than more safe.

Interview: Last year, the Internet Watch Foundation marked its 20th anniversary.  Policing Insight talks to CEO Susie Hargreaves OBE about the organisation's changing role and its relationship with its police partners. 

OPINION: "Even Chief Constables and Commissioners are publicly admitting that officer morale is a problem...". Serving officer and blogger "Police Guvnor" provides an inspector's perspective on officer welfare.

Interview: As deaths in custody have reduced, the general trend for suicides following custody has increased. Can the national strategy on police custody help forces protect vulnerable people? Syreeta Lund speaks to Surrey chief constable Nick Ephgrave, the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) lead on custody.

OPINION: Increased demand and the push to professionalisation can have a human cost. Police blogger and serving officer 'Nathan Constable' says the number of officers considering leaving the job is higher than he can ever remember - but explains why he's personally decided to stay in the service.

OPINION: The role and future of the Special Constabulary has been much debated in recent months, and in January, @wecops hosted a debate on the topic, led by Special Constabulary Chief Officer Dale Checksfield. Here, Dale summarises that debate, and suggests some priorities for the years ahead.

Interview: Tina Orr-Munro talks to former chief constable of British Transport Police, Andy Trotter who as police lead for communications, was closely involved with the implementation of Airwave

Opinion: For a number of years now, a growing number of critical communications experts from UK and around the world have been watching with horror as the UK Government, led by HM Treasury, Cabinet Office and Home Office, has attempted to deliver a next-generation communications network for public safety and emergency services personnel.

Opinion: Behind last month’s national crime figures another story is emerging: a growing shift in the nature of crime and a widening gap in policing demand. This in turn increases the urgency of decisions being made about future police funding.

OPINION: The penal system may not have many good news stories to tell - but one is the reduction in child arrests, down 59% since 2010. Andrew Neilson of the Howard League says the role of the police in this has been largely overlooked - but that there is still work to do to keep children from entering the criminal justice system.

opinion: PC Upile Mtitimila is a neighbourhood officer for Cheshire Police and a member of the 2016 Police Now Cohort. Here he writes about his new policing ‘family’ and how the job has matched his expectations.  

Interview: When the first cohort of exceptional graduates joined the Police Now programme, 56 per cent said they had never considered the police service as a career. Six months into their training and 'the vast majority of them' are planning to stay in the service beyond their initial two-year commitment which is encouraging news as many are from minority ethnic backgrounds.  Tina Orr-Munro talks to Kurtis Christoforides, Police Now's programme director.

OPINION: Volunteer Reserve Deputies in the US share much of the same training and responsibilities as regular police officers - including carrying guns. Dr Iain Britton of the Institute for Public Safety, Crime and Justice reflects on his recent trip to research volunteer Reserve Deputies in Orlando, Florida, and draws some comparisons with Special Constables in the UK.

Opinion: About 13 years ago I attended a conference on Restorative Justice hosted by Sir Charles Pollard, the former Chief Constable of Thames Valley Police. Charles was the early pioneer of Restorative Justice (RJ) in Policing.  At that time I was a Divisional Commander with the Lancashire Constabulary. 

OPINION: Earlier this month, Simon Chesterman, the National Police Chief's Council lead for armed policing, responded to Prof. Maurice Punch's article on armed police and the use of lethal force, arguing that command accountability is as robust as it can be under the current law. Here Prof. Punch - with Ralph Crawshaw and Geoffrey Markham - responds in turn, underlining the importance of accountability where tactics are highly likely to cause death.

OPINION: Last week’s Police ICT Summit signalled a welcome step in a positive direction, says Clare Elford, Managing Director of Clue, a technology company providing specialist investigative software. But suggests it's now time for a greater focus on effective engagement with smaller technology providers.

Interview: The Police Federation of England and Wales is currently campaigning to change the legislation to ensure that police officers who engage in pursuits and response driving can have better legal protection. Jayne Willetts, the PFEW's lead on roads policing tells Policing Insight why the service needs to get behind the campaign.

Interview: Devon and Cornwall Police are taking the national lead in combating human trafficking following the Government’s autumn announcement of £8.5m to combat the problem.  Syreeta Lund talks to DCI Ben Deer about how the force is responding.

OPINION: Promotion has never been easy - but increasingly some officers find it no longer an attractive proposition at all. Ben Ewart of bselected examines the promotion landscape and how officers might begin to find it an exciting opportunity once again.

OPINION: "We need both legislative change in Westminster, and we need MPs to lend their political support to Chief Constables to make spit guards available to their officers". Holly Lynch MP writes exclusively for Policing Insight on her work in Parliament and elsewhere in support of police officers' use of spit guards.

OPINION: "OSPRE Part 1 has done a disservice to a generation of officers by squandering a wealth of talent, and failing to capitalise on the unfulfilled potential that exists on the front line." Leadership coach and former ACC Brian Langston argues for the scrapping of OSPRE Part 1 as an outmoded memory test.