Announcing our International Advisory Board: Coronavirus (Covid-19) its first focus

I’m delighted to announce the establishment of the Policing Insight “International Advisory Board” (IAB), under the Chairmanship of Professor Gloria Laycock OBE. Our International Advisory Board’s immediate priority will be to guide Policing Insight on the identification and publication of expert insight into policing plans and responses in tackling Coronavirus (Covid-19).

Gloria Laycock is Professor of Crime Science at the Jill Dando Institute of Security and Crime Science at University College London (UCL). She was the Founding Director of the Institute, and is an internationally renowned expert in policing and crime prevention. She has acted as a consultant in North and South America, Australia, New Zealand, Israel, South Africa, the UAE and Europe. Other highlights of her career include her work setting up an Institute of Community Policing and Police Science for Abu Dhabi Police, and the earlier establishment and leadership of the Police Research Group (PRG) at the Home Office in the United Kingdom.

I have known Gloria since 1992, when she led the PRG. Her passion and energy for her subject was a strong influence for me some thirty years ago in my choosing to embark on my own career focusing on policing and criminal justice.

Gloria will be joined on our International Advisory Board by an outstanding set of Board Members, all with practical policing experience or relevant academic expertise, and from a wide geographic coverage. Note that we have limited the inclusion of current operational police officers or members of police staff: at this most challenging of times, we are determined to do all we can to avoid imposing any burden whatsoever on policing, whilst maximising the benefit that our expert global Board can help us deliver.

The founder Board Members of the Policing Insight International Advisory Board are, in alphabetical order:

• Dee Collins CBE QPM, former Chief Constable of West Yorkshire Police and Police Director of the 2019 Strategic Command Course with the UK’s College of Policing.
• Allan Fairley, Chair of the techUK “Justice & Emergency Services” Committee, and UK Police & Justice Managing Director, Accenture
• Professor Gloria Laycock OBE (Chair)
• Pierre Perron MOM, former Assistant Commissioner, Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), currently Global Public Safety Expert at Huawei Technologies
• Jorge J Román, PhD MBA, Expert Advisor for Dubai Police, and former Director of Business Excellence Chile
• May-Britt V R Ronnebro MSt GMnor, Secretary General at the International Police Association (IPA), and Superintendent at Swedish Police

We will shortly be announcing several further Board Members, who will complement the expertise and global coverage of the above Founder Members.

The most immediate challenge for Gloria and the Board will be to advise and support the Policing Insight team in identifying outstanding authors and content on topical policing issues – currently the response worldwide to Coronavirus (Covid-19). 

I am enormously grateful to Gloria and to all Members of this Policing Insight International Advisory Board for their acceptance of our invitation to join the Board. There is an urgent need for well-presented insight on policing’s response to the Coronavirus situation: I am confident that there is no better group of Board Members to work with us in achieving that goal. 

Board Members have agreed to provide their services, during the worst of this pandemic, at no charge. Similarly, Policing Insight will ensure that all of our Coronavirus-related content thus generated is available free of charge through our website, throughout this time. 

However, quality journalism and expert analysis does cost money. We know where our income comes from: from our subscribers and your organisations. We thank you for that continuing, very much appreciated, support. If you do not already subscribe, do please consider – today, next week, even next month – taking out an individual subscription, or encouraging your employer to consider buying an organisational subscription for you and your colleagues. For more details on an organisational subscription, please email my colleague, Richard Place via [email protected].

Finally, if any readers feel they would wish to contribute to the articles and analysis provided through Policing Insight, then do please get in touch, by leaving a comment below or emailing us at [email protected].