Latest News, Analysis and Opinion  (Page 101)

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: The disruptive events of 2020 present new pathways for public sector organisations to accelerate the progress they’ve already made in advancing their digital ambitions. But first they need to overcome legacy challenges to achieve a single view of their citizens and start small to harness innovation.

FEATURE: A new research project involving the National Police Chiefs' Council, the PSHE Association and the London School of Economics has highlighted the significant benefits of enabling training officers to deliver lessons in schools on issues such as drugs and the law; Prof Jon Jackson of LSE and Dr Chris Pósch of UCL explain the project and the importance of the findings.

LATEST RESEARCH: This summary curates the key policing-related research that's been published online in the last week, with links to the original journal articles, and selected abstracts - plus a short guide outlining how serving police officers and staff can get access, free, to many of the articles listed through the UK's National Police Library. You do not need to be a member of the UK College of Policing to access its library.

FEATURE: As the UK celebrates the 14th National Apprenticeship Week, Policing Insight talks to SFJ Awards about their work with police apprentices, and to Thames Valley Police about the benefits of apprenticeship routes into policing – as well as the wide range of opportunities for apprentices of all ages.

ANALYSIS: Dr George Karystianis and Professor Tony Butler of the University of New South Wales have used data mining techniques to analyse almost half a million police reports of domestic violence, revealing that mental health issues play a key role in the crime for both victims and perpetrators.

OPINION: With the COVID-19 lockdown pushing the Crown Court backlog of cases to 54,000 and rising, finding ways to safely speed up the delivery of justice are crucial; Dr Johann Grundlingh, CEO of SFR Medical, believes streamlining the medical evidence process could bring real benefits.

JOB ADVERTISEMENT: Babcock in partnership with London Fire Brigade have a fantastic opportunity for Emergency Response Trainers in London to deliver Blue Light / Emergency response training programmes.

Insight: The Police Code of Ethics applies equally to all areas of policing and data should not be considered in isolation as a different topic, argues the NPCC lead on ethics; Policing Insight Deputy Editor Sarah Gibbons explains his views and those of others seeking to embed transparency around data use in police decision-making.

ANALYSIS: Levels of violent crime across America saw an unprecedented increase in 2020; in this latest essay from the Violence Reduction Project, Professors Jerry Ratcliffe and Evan Sorg – both former police officers – argue that effective use of foot patrol could be the key to re-engaging with communities and reducing violence.

Insight: Cumbria’s use of Microsoft Teams has snowballed during the coronavirus pandemic and UK lockdown; Policing Insight Deputy Editor Sarah Gibbons looks at some of the innovative uses of the system, and how public engagement and officer satisfaction levels have benefited.

FREE SUBSCRIBER ACCESS: Policing Insight welcomes officers and staff from City of London Police, who now have FREE access with the start of a new organisation wide subscription. They join a community of officers and staff from many other UK and international police forces with an interest in progressive policing. Read on to find out how to use your FREE subscriber access.

ANALYSIS: Policing Insight’s Chris Allen examines how the pandemic has forced drug traffickers to change tried and tested smuggling routes, and explores how this will impact on the new transit countries as well as the wider European cocaine trade.

OPINION: Superintendent Simon Nelson, President of the Disabled Police Association, calls for more consistent recognition and resources for staff networks, and questions whether forces across England and Wales are really engaging with their internal diverse communities.

FEATURE: Bringing forces, chief constables, PCCs, the Home Office and suppliers together to unite behind the Police National Digital Strategy will be ‘complicated’, NPCC Chair Martin Hewitt told this week’s Police Digital Summit; but delivering the Strategy is essential if policing is to retain legitimacy with the public.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: The Police Foundation’s 2021 annual conference, running online from 23rd to 25th February, will explore what kind of skills and capabilities police officers and staff will require as we approach the middle of the twenty first century.

Analysis: A layered co-governance framework that co-ordinates police experience, social science expertise and the public perspective is the ideal structure for the implementation of automated facial recognition systems, and as such is urgently required, argues Isabella Duan, Laidlaw Scholar at University College London.

LATEST RESEARCH: This summary curates the key policing-related research that's been published online in the last week, with links to the original journal articles, and selected abstracts - plus a short guide outlining how serving police officers and staff can get access, free, to many of the articles listed through the UK's National Police Library. You do not need to be a member of the UK College of Policing to access its library.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: Frontline Fulfilment is a collaborative event between the emergency services and education sectors, highlighting the opportunities for a ‘people-first’ future by exploring both common concerns and potential shared solutions; Mightify CEO Tom Wheelhouse explains the thinking behind next week’s free event, and what it aims to achieve.

FEATURE: The Coronavirus pandemic has put huge pressures on the criminal justice system, and could have an impact on the courts and policing for many years to come; Policing Insight Deputy Editor Sarah Gibbons looks at two recent reports that both warn of critical risks and the need for a radical overhaul.

Announcement: We are pleased to announce the appointment of Sarah Gibbons as Deputy Editor of Policing Insight. Sarah has been appointed to aid the ongoing development of our editorial, improving the quality and diversity of our content.

FEATURE: Against a backdrop of unprecedented rising violence in 2020 – with murders across the biggest 65 cities in the US increasing collectively by a third – Professor Peter Moskos, a former Baltimore police officer, launched the Violence Reduction Project; in this first in a series of essays from practitioners, experts and academics, he highlights the aims of the Project, and the need for urgent action.

Analysis: Amid concerns that rising levels of large scale VAT fraud now represent a national security threat, Andrew Staniforth examines how new working arrangements between the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) and Europol will be vital in ensuring that essential information sharing mechanisms are in place for effective investigations.

OPINION: Debates around ‘warrior cop’ masculinity and excessive use of force in policing have continued in the wake of the death of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter protests; but suggestions that simply hiring more women will change police culture are flawed, says Harvard Masters candidate Diane Liang.

INSIGHT: In an increasingly digital world, the role of forensic linguistics will be crucial to law enforcement as an aid to correctly identifying text authors and voices, so investment in research and awareness raising among police officers and the judiciary, are vital to its success. Georgina Heydon outlines how this powerful, yet little known, tool can be integrated into investigations.