Opinion

OPINION: Charlotte Pickles, Deputy Director and Head of Research at the Reform think tank, looks at the potential for directly elected mayors and identifies lessons from the experience of PCCs

OPINION: Kathryn Holloway, Police and Crime Commissioner for Bedfordshire, marks her first 100 days in office by publishing her first 100 achievements.

Friska Wirya has been engaged for over 18 months at Western Australia Police, the single largest jurisdiction in the world, as a change management specialist supporting the replacement of a mission-critical application. She blogs about the ten key leadership lessons she's learned from working with Western Australia's senior officers.

OPINION: Should the use of Tasers be banned on psychiatric wards, as suggested by Liberal Democrat Health spokesman Norman Lamb? Serving officer Nathan Constable says the proposal fails to acknowledge that there are times when people become so dangerous that staff cannot control them, and that simply banning Tasers doesn't deal with the real issues at stake.

OPINION: With increasing pressure on budgets, police officers are spending more time dealing with vulnerable people, and are forced to go on patrol alone. Holly Lynch MP was so concerned for the safety of one officer with whom she went on patrol that she rang 999 to get back-up for him. She calls on the government to support the police properly and to empower other agencies to take a lead on dealing with the vulnerable.

OPINION: The day-to-day work of policing can be deeply traumatic. In a powerful piece, Sgt Harry Tangye recalls one incident that demonstrates the stark reality of policing for those in the job.

OPINION: Sophisticated data and crime analysis should have transformed policing and criminal justice; but instead, taxpayers are funding bloated criminal justice systems and foot patrols in communities where officers have little to do. Tom Gash argues it's time to replace myth-based approaches with those founded on evidence.

OPINION: Critics of Police Now, the Graduate Leadership Development Programme for the police, have warned it will lead to poorly equipped constables who will be found wanting once on the streets. Serving officer Dan Reynolds went to see for himself - and found a cohort with a maturity far in excess of their four weeks in the job.

OPINION: Should drug addicts be treated as victims themselves? Research suggests that prescribing pharmaceutical heroin can reduce the use of street drugs and associated levels of crime. Ron Hogg, former senior police officer, now Durham’s Police, Crime and Victims Commissioner, argues that this isn't going soft on drugs, but going sensible.

OPINION: The police service is undergoing fundamental change through a combination of austerity and alterations in demand. DCC Andy Rhodes revisits transformational change in policing and introduces the parable of the boiling frog to explain what limits the capacity of forces to adapt and transform.

OPINION: Last week we explored the PFEW's campaign to to reduce prejudice against police officers with tattoos. Serving police officer Gareth Stubbs argues that these kinds of attitudes represent the power of groupthink, and argues for the importance of diversity of thought in policing.

OPINION: Should police forces take a more relaxed approach to recruiting those with tattoos? The Police Federation of England and Wales says yes, and is leading a campaign to overcome 'old-fashioned' attitudes. Steve Bax of the PFEW explores the issue.

OPINION: Why is it that PTSD in some forces will result in an injury retirement, in others a resignation and in the worst cases prosecution? Gill Scott-Moore of the Police Dependents' Trust talks about what's changed in the way police deal with mental health issues, the research the Trust has commissioned, and the work that still needs to be done.

OPINION: The first hundred days of a new PCC are overwhelmingly busy and full of meetings and helpful advice. But few of these will directly address the most important aspects of making a success of the job. Karen Drury looks at the relationships, and the necessary managing of conflict, needed to keep the show on the road.

OPINION: David Jamieson, PCC for the West Midlands, argues that the proposed model for the new mayor of the West Midlands Combined Authority is weak and not fit for purpose, and calls for the CA to pause, reflect, and review the role.

OPINION: The latest NFU report on rural crime showed marked variations in some crime types and between local force areas. But which interventions are working? Nick Alston, former Essex PCC and now Chair of the newly launched Policing Institute for the Eastern Region, calls for more research into what works to reduce rural - and other - crime.

OPINION: The Curtis Review on the use of targets in policing was published in December 2015, but little actual change appears to have taken place. Simon Guilfoyle revisits the debate and calls once more for the fundamental transformation of performance management in the police service.

OPINION: Armed police officers have made headlines again, this time for shopping in Morrisons. Police blogger and serving officer 'Nathan Constable' outlines the the security threat and the professionalism of armed officers, and argues for a grown-up debate about armed response.

EXCLUSIVE: New PCC for Cheshire, David Keane, blogs about his 100-day listening exercise, and why the police need to be based in the heart of the community - not in police stations.

OPINION: Police Now, the Graduate Leadership Development Programme for the police, has been controversial in some quarters. Emma Williams of Canterbury Christ Church University lays out her thoughts after spending a day with the scheme, and argues that talented serving officers also need access to high quality training.

OPINION: How should 'blue light' services communicate with the people they serve? Dan Slee examines the work that comms teams in the Fire and Rescue Services have been doing to get their life-saving messages across, and what lessons there are for other public services.

OPINION: Ian Blackhurst, Executive Director for Solutions, Northgate Public Services argues that criminals don’t respect force borders or system silos, and neither should digital evidence.

EXCLUSIVE: Lord Willy Bach, the first serving parliamentarian to be elected as a Police and Crime Commissioner, talks about the learning curve for PCCs, appointing a deputy, and why 'blue light' mergers could leave the Fire Service as the poor relation.

OPINION: Iain Britton, Head of the Centre for Citizens in Policing at the Institute for Public Safety Crime and Justice, reflects on the national Citizens in Policing Summit at the Palace Hotel, Manchester on Thursday 21 July.