Features

ANALYSIS: Ten years after the pilot of the first Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme (DVDS) in England and Wales, this vital safeguarding tool is now on the statute books; while other countries around the world have introduced similar schemes, Dr Katerina Hadjimatheou of Essex University believes the approaches adopted both in England and Wales and South Australia  around who can be given information, and when and how disclosures can be made, set an example for other countries to follow.

ANALYSIS: In this fifth and final article in a month-long series celebrating International Women’s Day, Dr Emma Williams, Dr Linda Maguire, Dr Arun Sondhi and Richard Harding of the Open University’s Centre for Policing Research and Learning share some important insights about the ground-breaking Operation Soteria Bluestone project currently underway to transform the police response to Rape and Serious Sexual Offences.

FEATURE: Religious beliefs remain a key component of the motivations of terrorist groups operating around the world, meaning that places of worship and faith congregation will continue to be potential terrorist targets; Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth reports on the latest EU-funded initiative police initiative to design, develop and deliver enhanced protection to those religious sites.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: This one day event, supported by Policing Insight as media partner, will be a mixture of briefing by keynote speakers and audience participation to obtain ideas and views on next step activity for the National Tutelage Service in 2023 and beyond. It is an exciting opportunity for some innovative thought and discussion to build on what is universally acknowledged as a highly effective roads policing intervention. Register to attend 19th April 2023 at the Leonardo Royal Hotel in Oxford.

OPINION: While LGBTQ+ people in Australia experience disproportionately high levels of sexual violence, to date little has been known about their experiences of sexual crimes or of seeking support; now new research by a team of academics from the University of Tasmania and the University of Melbourne has highlighted the significant impact of such crimes, gaps in the provision of support, and failings in some of the responses to those who do choose to report the crime.

INNOVATION: A team from the Policing Institute for the Eastern Region are collaborating with colleagues across Europe to develop an app that uses machine learning to find and block images of child sexual abuse on personal devices – potentially protecting thousands of children while allowing police to target resources on the most persistent and prolific offenders, as Policing Insight’s Keith Potter reports.

FEATURE: Hampshire Constabulary’s new Policing PLUS entry route – which enables officers to join without a degree, and those on degree routes to transfer – has been hailed a “game changer” by the chief constable, while the police and crime commissioner believes it could “shape national plans”; but those opposed to moving away from mandatory degrees say returning to traditional police training is both regressive and nonsensical, as Policing Insight’s Keith Potter reports.

OPINION: The recent Casey Review of the UK’s Metropolitan Police Service focused mainly on the damning findings around behaviour and culture, with little mention of drugs; but former Police Scotland superintendent Martin Gallagher argues that the policing of drugs could be a key contributor to negative public perceptions and lower levels of trust in the force, and removing the drugs market from criminality could be the ‘huge and radical step’ required to help regain trust among London’s black community.

FEATURE: The College of Policing, the first professional body for police in England and Wales, has now been operational for a decade; in the first of a two-part series of features marking the anniversary, Policing Insight’s Ian Weinfass gauges the views of its creator Peter Neyroud and other important figures about how it has performed in that time.

INNOVATION: Policing faces some growing challenges around the volume and security of digital, and has been encouraged to migrate to the cloud as part of the UK Government’s Cloud First strategy; but police technology advisor Paul Kennedy, and Kate Steele, UKI Head of Public Services for Lenovo Infrastructure, believe an alternative approach focusing on infrastructure as a service could deliver greater efficiency and security as well as potential cost savings.

OPINION: The findings of Baroness Casey’s review of the Met Police were difficult reading for many, and described a force in crisis; John Fox, Senior Lecturer in Police Studies at the University of Portsmouth, believes the situation calls for strong measures – including the polygraph testing of applicants, better support for whistleblowers, and creating a hostile environment for toxic behaviour – to drive essential cultural change.

INTERVIEW: A traumatic experience early in Vernon Herron’s policing career gave him a personal insight into the services officers need to maintain their mental health and wellbeing; now he uses that experience, and many others gained during more than 30 years in policing, to ensure Baltimore PD officers have the right safety and wellness support, as he explained to Policing Insight’s Christine Townsend.

ANALYSIS: In the fourth of a month-long series of articles celebrating International Women’s Day, the Open University’s Dr Shona Morrison, and Daryl Baguley of the Diane Modahl Sporting Foundation, highlight a lesser-known form of violence against young women and girls – exploitation of vulnerable girls in the context of drug dealing and organised crime groups, known in the UK as ‘County Lines’ drug dealing.

FEATURE: The UK’s continuing participation in the Horizon Europe research programme – a scheme that has funded a number of innovative policing and security research projects – has been in some doubt, with the funding guarantee due to end on 31 March; but the Government has now confirmed a further extension of the guarantee until the end of June 2023, with more news on the UK’s continuing engagement in the programme due soon, as Policing Insight’s Andy Staniforth reports.

FEATURE: A new money-laundering taskforce led by the Australian Federal Police and including the Australian Border Force and the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission will target the tens of million dollars believed to be laundered in the country every day that is the ‘lifeblood’ of Australia’s organised crime gangs, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning are delivering benefits in analysing huge volumes of historic data across both the private and public sector, but their use in real-time situations has been more limited; Hexagon Director Nick Chorley spoke to Policing Insight about the opportunities for greater use to assist live command and control decision making, and the importance of allaying fears over ‘big brother’ approaches and potential bias.

OPINION: This week’s damning Casey Review into the Metropolitan Police Service has highlighted major concerns over racism, misogyny and homophobia, the neglect of basic command units in favour of elite units, and a broken misconduct system; with calls from some quarters for the Met to be broken up, Police Foundation Director Rick Muir says it’s essential for the force to reinvent itself if it is to survive.

INNOVATION: Although the prevention element of policing is as old as the Peelian principles, Merseyside’s pioneering prevention strand is driving the message across the force to deliver real community benefits; Chief Constable Serena Kennedy (pictured) and Chief Superintendent Andy Ryan spoke to Policing Insight’s Keith Potter about the culture change required to embed the approach, and the successes that are already evident.

OPINION: Former Police Scotland Superintendent Martin Gallagher argues that the ‘war on drugs’ has largely failed and is drawing to an inevitable close; but he also believes that concerted efforts to divert current drug barons away from criminality, as well as clearly articulated international guidance of where drug policies should now go, will be essential if police and society are to successfully move forward.

INTERVIEW: In the latest in a series of interviews with leading figures involved in the research and investigation of organised crime, Policing Insight’s Chris Allen spoke to Cardiff University Professor of Criminology Mike Levi about a public health approach to combating fraud, the importance of understanding why particular approaches work in specific environments, and the role of mystery shoppers in fighting organised crime.

OPINION: When a Police Misconduct Panel ruled a British Transport Police officer found guilty of gross misconduct should keep his job, Chief Constable Lucy D’Orsi was forced to continue employing someone she believed was a danger to women; a successful judicial review of the decision now means the officer has been sacked, but CC D’Orsi believes the system has to change if the service is to regain the trust of women.

FEATURE: As the discussion continues around the role of education and degrees within policing in the UK, the policing education qualifications framework (PEQF) has remained contentious; Dr Emma Williams and Jennifer Norman explore the current situation regarding the PEQF and police qualifications, and where the debate about professionalisation in policing goes from here.

INNOVATION: A new set of simple digital tools used to arrange police interviews and organise officer appearances in court are now being rolled out to forces across England and Wales by the Police Digital Service; although still in the early stages, it’s been estimated that the Video Enabled Policing programme could save more than £60m a year and free officers up to handle more complex tasks, as Policing Insight’s James Sweetland reports.

FEATURE: Disability hate crime has increased significantly in recent years, with autistic people and those with learning disabilities often targeted; Dr Mark Brookes, Advocacy Lead at support and campaign group Dimensions UK, outlines some of the work the organisation is already doing with policing to improve the response to disability hate crime, and the resources and training opportunities available that could help police to tackle such crimes and provide better support to victims.