Features

Analysis: AUSTRALIA: Following the horrific deaths of four Victorian police officers, Dr. Kelly Hine, a lecturer in criminology at Australian National University, looks at how Australian officers are sustaining injuries and other medical conditions, and how often are officers dying in the line of duty.

OPINION: Former Chief Superintendent and author of the bestselling Blue: A Memoir - Keeping the Peace and Falling to Pieces John Sutherland considers the role police officers are playing in the face of the current pandemic and how all too often stories of their bravery and courage are overshadowed by tales of heavy-handed policing tactics.

OPINION: The UK police service is in the process of developing the Single Online Home, a national, digital counter service offering over forty policing services. But then the world changed. NPCC Lead for Digital Public Contact and Chief Constable of Leicestershire Simon Cole QPM reflects on the progress made and the impact of Covid-19.

Innovation: Scrutiny is a vital aspect of police governance, but how does it work during a pandemic? Last week, Cheshire Police and Crime Panel became the first to use Zoom to question Cheshire PCC David Keane on how the force is performing in these unprecedented times. But can a 'virtual meeting' be a substitute for the real thing?

Analysis: Although we know modern slavery is rising in the UK, there is no definitive method for collating accurate figures. Policing Insight contributor Andrew Staniforth says that has to change and there are lessons to be learnt from a unique collaboration in the United States that analyses big data to uncover patterns and help inform policy decisions.

INTERVIEW: Policing is facing its greatest challenge since the Second World War as officers enforce the lockdown to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Bedfordshire Chief Constable Garry Forsyth tells Policing Insight how the Coronavirus has touched every aspect of police business, including challenging accepted working practices.

SPOTLIGHT ON THE WINNERS: This police-led response to a terror attack on one of the UK’s oldest synagogues, which united a range of agencies and organisations to promote public reassurance and community cohesion, was awarded Highly Commended in the World Class Policing Awards, sponsored by Accenture. In the eleventh of twelve articles focusing on the award winning nominations, Keith Potter takes a closer look at this exceptional example of policing, partnership and community response.

FEATURE: In our continuing series aimed at supporting the new police degree entry recruits, Policing Insight's Academic Editor Carina O'Reilly outlines a case study of evidence-based policing in practice - the benefits of hot spot policing and what it can achieve.

Analysis: In the first of a series of articles on road safety, Drivetech Managing Director Charlie Norman examines the findings of the Government's recent view of Smart motorways following safety concerns and argues that re-educating motorists is crucial to reducing the number of deaths and injuries on the road.

Analysis: During austerity, some UK police forces lost over 50 per cent of their PCSOs and more than a quarter of their police staff employees. In the second article in our series on the nature of the UK's police workforce, we examine how the change in police staff and PCSO numbers over the past decade reflects a shift in attitudes towards civilianisation, outsourcing of staff and PCSOs.

INNOVATION: Victims of stalking are regularly asked to write down incidents of harassment, but keeping handwritten records can traumatic, deterring victims from coming forward. Driven by the desire to help law enforcement deliver a better service to stalking victims, CEO Christine Townsend developed Preserved, an app that allows easy capture of photos, video, emails, text messages and audio transcriptions.

Feature: Policing Insight contributor Andrew Staniforth explores the contribution of Scotland Yard's 'most celebrated detective of the day' Police Superintendent William Melville whose work uncovering German espionage in the years before World War I led to the creation of the UK's first security intelligence service, now known as MI5 and MI6.

Opinion: As the police service explores the growing potential of technology to undertake some traditional policing functions, CEO of MeLearning Nick Richards argues that no matter how sophisticated the technology it can only be as good as the skills of those that use it and training remains a vital component of any rollout.

Opinion: The coronavirus crisis is having a serious impact on the global illegal drugs market. Policing Insight contributor Andrew Staniforth examines the ramifications for the UK and considers how countries are handling drug enforcement during the pandemic.

OPINION: Across the world, a variety of surveillance techniques are being used to slow the spread of Covid-19. In his latest blog, UK's Surveillance Camera Commissioner Tony Porter argues that while the systems may look different, the principles behind deploying surveillance technology remain the same.

ANALYSIS: Policing has responded well to rising 999 call volumes, but lack of research and understanding could hinder improvement in contact management says in his commentary summarising some highlights from the recent CoPaCC Police Contact Management: Demand Analysis Report.

Analysis: When US polling organisation Elucd asked Americans how satisfied they were with guidance received during the Coronavirus emergency, local police departments polled even worse than the President. Michael Simon, CEO of Elucd and former head of analysis to President Obama’s re-election campaign, tries to understand what lies behind this surprising result.

ANALYSIS: Enforcing the lockdown, officer wellbeing and what happens when the lockdown ends were just some of the issues discussed on last week's popular @WeCops Twitter forum on police legitimacy, chaired by Professor Ian Loader. Thames Valley Police Superintendent and @WeCops team member Katy Barrow-Grint explores the issues raised.

OPINION: Bernard Rix, Publisher of Policing Insight, provides a brief overview of policing responses worldwide to Covid-19, and identifies some of the factors that will determine which forces emerge from the pandemic with their reputations enhanced.

INTERVIEW: The lockdown has led to a steep rise in calls to domestic abuse helplines in the UK. While they offer vital support, alternative accommodation is essential to enabling people to escape their situation, but Co-APCC Victims lead on domestic abuse Julia Mulligan says refuges are all but full and more accommodation is urgently needed.

Exclusive interview: Medical hardware is the latest addition to a growing list of areas targeted by criminals during the Covid-19 pandemic. In an exclusive interview INTERPOL's Executive Director Stephen Kavanagh QPM DL gives an update on the emerging threats, the impact on traditional crime and how law enforcement is responding.

Analysis: A decade of falling police officer numbers in England and Wales has been a continuous focus of concern. In a new series of articles Ian Wiggett analyses where the cuts have been felt the deepest and the implications for the workforce mix. This first article looks at how police officer numbers and the total size of the workforce have changed for each force since 2010 and what the picture is likely to look like in 2023.

Analysis: The latest in our Report Watch series summarises a report by Europol on how criminals are profiteering from the Covid-19 pandemic.

OPINION: Call handling – often the public’s only point of contact with police – is under ever-increasing pressure, and deserves more attention says CoPaCC Director and former Greater Manchester Police Assistant Chief Constable Ian Wiggett in his introduction to the CoPaCC Police Contact Management: Demand Analysis Report. The recently published report examines trends and performance in UK call handling and online reporting.