Features

Opinion: According to Big Brother Watch's report on facial recognition technology, a system deployed by South Wales Police at a football match generated a  92% False Positive Rate. Founder and CEO of facial recognition company Allevate Ltd Carl Gohringer puts the record straight on how the technology works and what the figures mean.

ANALYSIS: The Scottish town of Paisley has experienced troubling increases in violent crime over the past year, prompting a robust response from the local division of Police Scotland. Martin Gallagher and Del Middleton, two of the architects of this response, provide the context and outline of this policing initiative. Dr Colin Atkinson of the University of the West of Scotland reflects upon the impact of this work for local communities and, importantly, for the police service itself.

ANALYSIS: In an age of unpredictable terrorist attacks, how can the emergency services ensure that they are fully prepared? Dr Nicola Power and Olivia Brown of Lancaster University, and Dr Laura Boulton of the University of Central Lancashire, explain how the lessons from last year's Manchester attack can be applied on the ground.

OPINION: Other European countries face football-related violence - and often respond to it in similar ways to the UK. However, ENABLE, a research project on football policing, is seeking to explore new ways of policing football fans. Ch. Supt. Owen West describes the project's latest visit to see how Swiss police deal with their 'Ultras'.

OPINION: The Metropolitan Police's use of a 'gang matrix' has sparked concern from Amnesty International, which has warned that it could be discriminatory. Daragh Murray and Professor Pete Fussey of the University of Essex explore the issue, and the wider human rights risks of using big data in policing.

ANALYSIS: Report Watch summarises the main findings of reports that impact on policing and includes responses from the main stakeholders as well as media reaction. Here we take a look at Big Brother Watch's report on facial recognition technology which it warns is being used indiscriminately and without proper oversight and regulation by some police forces.

ANALYSIS: In its report, Reducing Modern Slavery, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has revealed concerns surrounding the inconsistency of the police service’s response to the crime which has prompted the NCA Director General to consider intervention. Policing Insight reports.

ANALYSIS: In the second of three extracts from Vigilant Research’s latest in depth report on police technology futures, Director Stephen Roberts examines futures capability in other public sectors.

Opinion: To coincide with National Mental Health Awareness Week, Kent Police and Crime Commissioner and national mental health lead for Police and Crime Commissioners Matthew Scott details some of the work going on nationally and in Kent to try to reduce the time police officers are spending dealing with cases involving mental health.

Opinion: With Facial Recognition Technology (FRT) now increasingly used in law enforcement, Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham says there are many unanswered questions as to how it is deployed, raising concerns about the lack of transparency and governance around its use.

ANALYSIS: Report Watch summarises the main findings of reports that impact on policing and includes responses from the main stakeholders as well as media reaction. Here we take a look at Amnesty International's Trapped in the Matrix which examines the Metropolitan Police Services' Gangs Violence Matrix which it concludes is unfit for purpose.

LONG READ: International policing in a post-conflict scenario presents huge challenges. Lieutenant Colonel Jorge Manuel Lobato Barradas, a Riot and Crowd Control Unit Commander in the Guarda Nacional Republicana (GNR) in Portugal, describes the difficulties of translating knowledge to the local context of East Timor.

ANALYSIS: What kind of structures might help deal with a crisis like the murder of Lee Rigby or the Grenfell Tower disaster? Martin Gallagher, a serving officer with Police Scotland describes Grey Space, a group he set up to monitor community tensions - and how he tested its capacity.

NEW SERIES: In the first of a series of articles for 2018, Detective Chief Superintendent Paul Keasey introduces Policing Insight readers to Project Galileo, a fundamental rethink of how we can make a difference to tackling harm on our roads.

OPINION: Homelessness has risen across the country. In the West Midlands, it has tripled over the last eight years. In a co-authored article, West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson and Policy Officer Ben Twomey believe it is essential the police service offers the hand of friendship to those in need.

NEW SERIES: Policing Insight has over a thousand in depth articles on a wide range of policing issues. SPOTLIGHT ON is a new series which groups articles under one subject allowing you quick and easy reference when you need it. Articles on the mental well-being of officers and staff are among some of our best-read features so we begin the series with a roundup of articles examining mental ill health among police employees and the service’s response.

OPINION: Not being able to trace the identity of a private landlord can have real consequences for police - and for local residents. Ron Hogg, PCC for Durham, explains why he is backing a Private Member's Bill to make mandatory the registration of private landlords.

INTERVIEW: Director of Staff Absence Solutions Ltd Mark Eastwood has worked in the rail industry for many years treating employees following traumatic rail-related incidents. Now working with police forces, Mr Eastwood tells Policing Insight how, with the right support, officers and staff can recover from psychological and physiological conditions caused by work.

ANALYSIS: Two years from today, PCCs will be learning whether they've been re-elected or not. The next PCC elections are due to take place on Thursday, 7th May 2020, with counts taking place the following day. Bernard Rix, CoPaCC Chief Executive, takes a look at which forces appear susceptible to a change at the top.

ANALYSIS: Recent high profile rape cases and other serious crime trials collapsing due to issues around the examination and disclosure of digital evidence have sent shock waves across the criminal justice system. Policy Advisor and Co-chair of the Independent Digital Ethics Panel for Policing Giles Herdale outlines the benefits of E-disclosure tools and the need for standards.

INTERVIEW: Exclusive: Greater collaboration and more licensing agreements are high on the new head of the Police ICT Company’s to-do list. CEO Ian Bell outlines the direction of travel for the company.

ANALYSIS: How can police forces ensure deaf people can access their frontline services? Robert Skinner of Heriot Watt University explains his research into how video-mediated interpreting (VMI) services can be used to aid access to Police Scotland.

OPINION: The murder of Stephen Lawrence 25 years ago changed Britain - and British policing - for good. Benjamin Bowling, Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice, King's College London, recalls the case, and reflects on the challenges still facing policing today.

Analysis: Vigilant Research's latest report launched this week examines the current police technology futures landscape and offers a set of objectives towards a centralised police technology futures capability. In the first of three articles, Director of Vigilant Research Stephen Roberts explores the current state of police technology futures operations.