Features

INTERVIEW: Following the recent first UK national conference on faith and belief in policing, Chief Constable Rachel Kearton, the NPCC Race, Religion & Belief Portfolio Lead, and the Reverend Matthew Hopley, National Police Chaplain, spoke to Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons about the importance of ensuring the faiths and beliefs of police personnel are brought “into the open” so that officers and staff can live their “authentic” lives.

FEATURE: Two recent reports into group based child sexual abuse and exploitation (CSAE) in the UK – one by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services, the other by the Hydrant Programme – have highlighted a lack of data around CSAE, the need for more consistency around understanding and identification of crimes, and the importance of a “robust national solution” to tackling CSAE, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

OPINION: Policing stands at a pivotal moment in tackling domestic abuse, demanding better alignment, data, culture and technology to protect victims, prevent harm, and drive a smarter, evidence-led systemwide response. Assistant Commissioner Louisa Rolfe, National Police Chiefs’ Council Lead for Domestic Abuse, and Deputy Assistant Commissioner Helen Millichap, the National Centre for VAWG and Public Protection (NCVPP) Director, introduce the Policing Insight thematic report, ‘Evolving police responses to domestic abuse’.

FEATURE: As law enforcement around the world prepares to face the challenges of 2026, Editor Keith Potter looks back over the key issues Policing Insight covered in 2025 – from structural reform and the approaches to ongoing and evolving crime threats, to workforce wellbeing, the opportunities from artificial intelligence and new technology, and leadership insights – and how these may affect the next 12 months.

OPINION: Recent horrific attacks in Australia and the UK have brought the threat from terrorists back firmly into the public spotlight; research by Dr Sara Fregonese of the University of Birmingham and Dr Paul Simpson of the University of Plymouth suggests that what the UK public fears and assumes about terrorism threats is quite different from reality, with perceptions from culturally diverse demographic groups showing significant variations.

FEATURE: Scottish Biometrics Commissioner Dr Brian Plastow has set out a four-year strategic plan featuring priorities on public reassurance and code of practice compliance – and which also includes provision for thematic reviews on fingerprints, evidence from body-worn cameras, and retrieving of data from electronic devices – against a backdrop of “exponential growth” in biometrics and databases, and the associated privacy, human-rights, and equality considerations, reports Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons.

FEATURE: A recent report on police performance in England and Wales, published by the Institute for Government, highlights the “ballooning volumes” of digital evidence and more administrative work being undertaken by officers, and the damaging impact on chiefs officers’ ability to set local priorities amid the continuing delays in publishing the plans for police reform, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

OPINION: With UK police forces under growing pressure to increase efficiency and productivity, Darren Nicholas, Assistant Director of Criminal Justice Services at UK social justice charity Cranstoun, looks at the potential for more effective use of out-of-court resolutions – particularly when combined with technology – to save police and criminal justice resources while improving outcomes for offenders and communities.

FEATURE: A new report from Europol’s Innovation Lab on the impact of robotics and unmanned systems on law enforcement highlights the range of new threats posed by technology such as drones and robots generating new types and patterns of crime, as well as the potential for policing to leverage such technology to respond to many of the key criminal challenges, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

OPINION: Canada’s decision to legalise cannabis in 2018 prompted concerns that the move would lead to more stoned drivers on the roads; but research by Brock University Associate Professor Michael Armstrong suggests that the longer-term changes in drug- and drink-impaired driving bore little correlation to the changes in the legal consumption of cannabis, although there was a clearer relationship between provinces catching more drug-drivers and the number of police trained in drug recognition.

FEATURE: The recent maiden public speech from the new Chief of MI6, Blaise Metreweli – the first female head of the Service – highlighted the challenges around state actors operating in the ‘grey zone’ to pose a risk to the UK’s security and stability; Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth looks at the nature of those threats, including drones and cyber-attacks, and the role MI6 and policing will need to play in countering them.

CHRISTMAS MESSAGE: For most of us the Christmas and New Year break is a time to relax and enjoy the company of family and friends; but for the many police officers and staff enduring some of their busiest nights of the year, and others coping with the stresses of the job as well as the pressures of the season, it can be a struggle to feel festive, says Policing Insight Editor Keith Potter.

OPINION: In June 2024, Paul Anderson retired from his post as Chief Constable of Humberside Police after 34 years in the service, amid allegations of misconduct that an Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) investigation declared this month required no further action; in this article he shares his experiences of being on the “other side of the fence” in an IOPC investigation, the length of time such inquiries take, the vulnerable position of chief officers, and the media leaks and manipulation that can make such processes even more damaging.

INTERVIEW: Having recently taken up his new role as CEO of the Australia New Zealand Policing Advisory Agency (ANZPAA), Carl McLennan spoke to Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons about the importance of sharing and collaboration at regional, national and international levels, the threats and opportunities presented by new technology, and the need to ensure that the frontline are fully engaged with new developments and innovative thinking.

FEATURE: A new report from the Vulnerability Knowledge and Practice Programme which analyses the latest figures around child sexual abuse and exploitation (CSAE) in the UK highlights a 6% rise in recorded offences – although under-reporting of CSAE is still regarded as a major concern – with the growth in online platforms, the wider use of AI, and the effects of the cost-of-living crisis among a range of factors contributing to the increase, reports Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons.

OPINION: In the latest in a regular series of articles from the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC), Roger Hirst, Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Essex and APCC Joint Finance Lead, explores the funding challenges facing forces and PCCs in England and Wales following last week’s announcement of the 2026/27 core grant for policing, and highlights extra funding needed to meet government ambitions around issues such as violence against women and girls, and knife crime.

INTERVIEW: Police forces across England and Wales need central support to embed “a more consistent, nationally-led approach” to investigator wellbeing rather than the current ad-hoc activities and initiatives at a local level, as Sarah-Jayne Bray, Programme Manager for the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s Recruitment, Retention and Wellbeing of Investigators portfolio, explained to Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons.

OPINION: Former New Zealand Police Deputy Commissioner Jevon McSkimming recently pleaded guilty to possessing child exploitation and bestiality material, and an Independent Police Conduct Authority investigation shows complaints of sexual misconduct were dismissed or minimised; Dr Anna Marie Brennan, Senior Law Lecturer at the University of Waikato, argues the case highlights that misogynistic attitudes, loyalty to hierarchy and weak whistleblower protections protect those in power, and that a public inquiry into the police is essential.

FEATURE: The horrific terrorist attack on Bondi Beach this week – the worst in Australia’s history – has once again highlighted both the continuing critical threat of terrorism, and the importance of efforts to identify individuals at risk of radicalisation and violent extremism; Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth looks at the role of the UK’s Prevent Programme in doing just that.

FEATURE: South Yorkshire Police’s Exercise Oak Apple is working with schools and other organisations to improve lockdown practice in response to on-premises knife crime incidents; Sergeant Simon Kirkham spoke to Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons about how the programme came about, the work that has been done so far, and the potential to roll out the scheme more widely to forces across England and Wales.

OPINION: Artificial intelligence (AI) AI is advancing rapidly, but human systems remain slow and often focused on immediate pressures; Odette Meli, former Co-ordinator of the Australian Federal Police’s Strategic Insights Centre, warns that without “leadership uplift and value-aligned governance” AI will amplify organisational weaknesses, and points to how policing in the UK, Australia and New Zealand have structured AI governance as an example of what can be done.

INTERVIEW: New research reveals that wellbeing support for secondary investigators and analysts (SIAs) such as crime and intelligence analysts and digital forensic officers is often below the levels offered to front-line colleagues, despite their often lengthy immersion in highly distressing material; report author Dr Fazeelat Duran of the University of Birmingham is urging police leaders to recognise the risks and exposure, and has also suggested simple strategies to help SIAs, as she explained to Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons.

FEATURE: In the wake of Ontario’s Building Bridges @ Blue conference, Policing Insight’s Matthew Wood explores the development of evidence-based policing across Canada, an approach that is gaining momentum but which faces significant challenges around governance, the disconnect between funding and outcomes, and the need to share outcomes.

INNOVATION: As forces adopt new approaches to digital evidence, integrating privacy with intelligence tools is proving key to efficiency, prediction, and community trust; Simon Randall, CEO of automatic redaction specialists Pimloc, explores the technology opportunities available to police forces to ensure that privacy and productivity advance hand in hand.