Features

INTERVIEW: Challenges around recruitment and workforce strength are affecting policing around the world, but there’s often less focus on keeping hold of good officers; Greater Manchester Police Chief Inspector Mike Russell spoke to Policing Insight’s Keith Potter about the force’s new ‘Stay Interview’ initiative which has significantly improved retention rates as well as improving the support available to officers.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: In August 2021 HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS), the College of Policing and the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) published a report in response to the super-complaint submitted by the Centre for Women’s Justice on the police use of protective measures in cases involving violence against women and girls (VAWG). Razi Hassan of the Domestic Abuse Alliance reviews the recommendations set out in the report and explains how the WEPROTECT instant victim referral service accelerates access to legal assistance and intervention.

ANALYSIS: With the ever-increasing volume of online child sexual abuse material, identifying and removing these harmful and often horrific images will require the use of new digital tools; at the recent 24-hour Conference on Global Organized Crime, Jacques Marcoux, Director of Research and Analytics for the Canadian Centre for Child Protection, outlined how Project Arachnid is delivering on this task, as Policing Insight’s James Sweetland reports.

OPINION: The ever-complex nature of policing continues to highlight the need for sharing and analysing data, with interoperability crucial to successful technological development; Sebastian Uhlig, Managing Consultant of Informed Solutions, explores the key ingredients required to ensure that digital transformation is accelerated and de-risked to improve the working lives of police officers, and enhance their service to the public.

FEATURE: Australia’s Queensland Police, like many other forces around the world, deal with worrying levels of domestic violence on a daily basis, with many incidents carried out by repeat offenders; but the introduction of a simple text messaging initiative to remind those subject to protection orders about the behaviour conditions they are required to follow has seen a significant drop in repeat offences and an associated reduction in costs, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

ANALYSIS: The issue of environmental crime is complex and frequently misunderstood by wider society, with wildlife trafficking often the focus of attention, at the expense of activities such as the illegal exploitation of minerals and other natural resources; Policing Insight’s Chris Allen looks at the latest report from the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime on the impacts of environmental crime today, and what we may face in the future.

OPINION: The recent Sentencing Council report highlighting the limited deterrence effect of harsher custodial sentences was described by some as a revelation; but Policing Lecturer Tom Andrews argues that diversionary programmes, as well as the possibility of being caught – rather than the potential severity of the punishment – have long been recognised as more effective approaches to preventing offending.

ANALYSIS: This month’s report by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services highlighted significant issues around the vetting of police officers – both new recruits and those already in service; as HMICFRS begins publishing individual force inspections on the same topic, Policing Insight’s Graham Wettone looks at the concerns highlighted by the original report, the recommendations for improvement, and what the service should be doing to protect policing and the public against potential misconduct and corruption.

ANALYSIS: This month’s ANZPAA Conference offered another opportunity to learn more about brain fingerprinting, and the potential for its use in law enforcement investigations and deception detection; Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth looks at the background to this cutting-edge technology, research on its operational performance to date, and how it could benefit policing and criminal justice systems moving forwards.

OPINION: A series of high-profile cases in the UK have highlighted issues around the disproportionate use of force and stop and search, and the impact on confidence in policing among many in black communities; Dr Clare Torrible, Senior Law Lecturer at the University of Bristol, believes a recent Court of Appeal ruling around reasonable use of force by officers could be crucial in restoring that confidence.

INTERVIEW: As Cambridge PD’s first female Commissioner, Christine Elow is determined to achieve her career-long ambition to “really make a difference”; and as a woman of colour and a parent to twin African-American 17-year-old sons, she’s also well aware that there are historical scars in the relationship between policing and some communities that are yet to heal, as she explained to Policing Insight’s Christine Townsend.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: Policing performance has never been under the microscope as much as it is now. There are some police forces that have been placed under special measures by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabularies and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS). In reviewing these findings, we can identify common themes in each of the areas in which policing is still considered to be underperforming.

FEATURE: The challenges around tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG) have been the subject of intense public, political and policing debate in recent months, following a number of high-profile incidents and alarming statistics; Policing Lecturer Dr Anna Hopkins reports on a recent Open University conference which drew together police, politicians, practitioners and academics to address some of the key issues and consider ways forward.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: Recent studies of the use and impact of, for example, body-worn video (BWV) cameras, have produced inconclusive results, or the reporting is strictly quantitative – all about statistics and numbers, and less about the human experience of officers and the public. So we at Axon supported an independent study by Crest Advisory, a leading consultancy in the UK policing, justice and public safety sectors, to assess the impact of enabling technologies on Cumbria’s constabulary.

ANALYSIS: Three years ago, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the ambitious Uplift plan to recruit an additional 20,000 police officers by April 2023, and despite significant political upheaval since, the Government remains ‘determined’ to keep to its pledge; in the last of this current series on UK police workforce structure, Policing Insight’s Ian Wiggett assesses whether that target will be met, and what comes next.

LONG READ: The emergency services response to the flooding in Australia’s Northern Rivers region, which began in February and remains ongoing, has been subject to close scrutiny and two major independent inquiries; Policing Insight’s Alan Beckley examines some of the key findings and recommendations from the two inquiry reports, and considers their implications for policing in the region.

ANALYSIS: New research from the Youth Endowment Fund (YEF) has found that children are being seriously affected not only by violence itself, but also the fear of violence, with almost two thirds of young people changing their behaviour to protect themselves; YEF Executive Director Jon Yates believes that evidence-based approaches and partnership working can significantly improve the safety and prospects of young people.

INTERVIEW: When the UK Disabled Police Association (DPA) was launched 10 years ago, disability was still not considered a protected characteristic in policing; Supt Simon Nelson, who steps down as President of the DPA after eight years in post when he retires from policing next month, believes the situation has now significantly improved – but as he explained to Policing Insight Contributing Editor Tina Orr Munro, there’s still much more to be done.

FEATURE: Law enforcement globally faces similar challenges around officers numbers, diversity and community engagement, yet the crucial contribution of policing volunteers – and the relatively untapped potential – is often overlooked; Dr Iain Britton of the University of Northampton’s Institute for Public Safety, Crime and Justice reports on recent global gatherings of volunteer policing leaders and academics in the UK, and plans to improve the international sharing of evidence and best practice.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: Integration and data are at the very core of Police work, ensuring information is accessible by the right people at the right time through the most appropriate channel. In this article we will discuss how Forces can unlock the power of their data to deliver key policing outcomes.

ANALYSIS: As the conversation turns again to probable funding cuts to UK public services, Open University Visiting Fellow Justin Partridge and University of Southampton lecturer Fatema Zaghloul examine whether increased and sustained austerity will lead to a greater willingness to collaborate and assist in driving efficiencies, or if collaboration will become another casualty of austerity as hard-pressed organisations simply retrench their focus to internal matters?

OPINION: A spate of juvenile charges being laid in youth courts in New Zealand has reignited the debate around whether the country needs to raise its criminal age of responsibility; Professor Claire Breen of the University of Waikato argues that increasing the age of responsibility from 10 to 12 or older would see children still face the consequences of their actions, but escape being caught up in the criminal justice system.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: In a time of exponential change, the need for experienced and well-educated leaders in policing has never been greater. Charles Sturt University’s Master of Leadership and Management (Policing and Security) can equip you with the skills and knowledge required to become a successful modern leader.

INTERVIEW: West Midlands Police Chief Constable Sir Dave Thompson retires next month, after more than 32 years in the service; ahead of his last National Police Chiefs’ Council conference this week, he spoke to Policing Insight’s Keith Potter about the impact of fresh financial cuts on policing, the importance of chief officers using their voice, and the dangers of policing being used as a ‘football in the culture wars’.