Latest News, Analysis and Opinion  (Page 103)

Announcement: A record number of offices of police and crime commissioners (OPCCs) have received the CoPaCC Open and Transparent Quality Mark for 2021, demonstrating impressive improvements in information transparency delivered via OPCC websites; Bernard Rix, CoPaCC Chief Executive and Publisher of Policing Insight, provides details of the OPCCs recognised for meeting the statutory requirements on openness and transparency.

OPINION: Proposals by the UK Government to criminalise trespass look set to affect Travellers more than any other group; but Helen O’Nions, Senior Lecturer at Nottingham Trent University, warns that the laws will contradict human rights legislation, lack support, and be very difficult to enforce.

Job advertisement: Police Lecturer vacancies at Babcock International for their new flagship contract partnering with several Higher Education Institutes across London to deliver the new Metropolitan Police Service Policing Education Qualifications Framework (PEQF) framework.

ANALYSIS: In the final part of their trilogy of articles on Canadian policing, Keith Taylor and Dr Barbara Herring of consultants perivale+taylor explore some of the developments and often unique challenges faced by the country’s law enforcement agencies in relation to diversity, equity, inclusion and anti-racism.

FEATURE: The recent Frontline Fulfilment online event attracted an audience and speakers from around the world; Mightify CEO Tom Wheelhouse, one of the organisers of the event, looks at some of the key issues covered, including mental fitness and resilience, leadership, and personal development.

OPINION: Levels of violent crime across America saw an unprecedented increase in 2020; in this latest essay from the Violence Reduction Project, Professor Gary Cordner, former Maryland police chief and Academic Director of the Baltimore Police Department Police Academy, explains how better police education and training can contribute to reducing violence.

ANALYSIS: Policing Insight Contributing Editor Tina Orr-Munro explores the growing efforts to understand and acknowledge the impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences on adult behaviour, and adopt a public health policing approach.

OPINION: Applying and enforcing COVID-19 legislation has been a difficult balancing act for many police forces, but in Northern Ireland the added context of sectarian conflict and discrimination has proved particularly challenging; Dr Kevin Hearty of Queen’s University Belfast believes the recent actions of the Police Service of Northern Ireland could reopen long-standing divisions.

INTERVIEW: In January, Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) published its COVID-19 inspection of fire and rescue services across England and Wales. Catherine Levin talks to two police, fire and crime commissioners to see whether having oversight of both police and fire makes a difference when it comes to responding to a global pandemic.

INTERVIEW: As police forces in England and Wales ramp up their recruitment programmes, concerns continue to be raised about the pressure to meet Home Office targets affecting the competence of new recruits; Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth spoke to Alison Lyle, Senior Lecturer in Policing at Sheffield Hallam University, about their courses to educate and professionalise the next generation of police officers.

OPINION: Digital information is now all pervasive in society, and effective gathering and collating of that information as evidence is a challenge for policing; senior policing advisor Dr Steve Watts, a former chief officer in the UK, believes more forces could be reaping the benefits of digital evidence management systems.

FEATURE: The Police Foundation’s Strategic Review of Policing is exploring the sort of UK police service stakeholders need and expect over the coming years; ahead of next week’s conference on The Future Police Workforce, Foundation Director Rick Muir highlights some of the key questions that need to be considered.

UCL COVID-19 SERIES: One response to the COVID-19 pandemic has been the encouragement of more contactless payment, and with it the increases in transaction limits; but in this latest article from the UCL COVID-19 series, Professor Graham Farrell (University of Leeds) and Professor Nick Tilley (UCL) warn that such moves could lead to a rise in thefts of credit and debit cards and have a lasting effect on crime rates.

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.

INNOVATION: Camera technology used in healthcare settings and hospitals to monitor a person’s movement, pulse and breathing is being introduced into custody suites in Devon and Cornwall – the first police use of the new high-tech system – after a successful two-year trial.

OPINION: The world of forensic science in the UK is changing, in the form of a new national network with police forces as members; Jo Ashworth, CEO of the Forensic Capability Network, explains that forces must get actively involved to help shape the future of forensics.

OPINION: Statistics show that incidents of domestic violence increase significantly in the aftermath of natural disasters; Professor Jennifer Boddy and Researcher Celeste Harris of Queensland’s Griffith University set out how and why violence prevention should be a crucial part of emergency response.

OPINION: The financial impact of global cybercrime is growing at an alarming rate, yet the role of the chief information security officer in both public and private organisations is still largely undervalued and unrecognised; Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth looks at the growing importance of public-private partnerships in the battle against cybercrime.

OPINION: Levels of violent crime across America saw an unprecedented increase in 2020; in this latest essay from the Violence Reduction Project, Denise Rodriguez, a leading expert on collaborative reform, police accountability and community engagement, explains why improved police-community relations is crucial to reducing levels of violence.

OPINION: With the debate around the legalisation of heroin back in the headlines, Professor Bill Bogart of the University of Windsor sets out the case for legalisation and strict regulation of all currently illegal narcotics, with decriminalisation as the first step towards resolving the failed war on drugs.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: The National Policing Digital Strategy 2020-2030 recommends that forces take a cloud-first approach to applications and data. Join this webinar on 24th February 2021 to learn more about the police assured mission accelerator developed by Amazon Web Services (AWS), the Police ICT Company, and the National Police Technology Council. which helps forces to migrate workloads and deploy services quickly and securely to the cloud.

Opinion: The arrest of one of the world’s most wanted alleged drugs lords has sparked debate around strategies to best tackle organised crime and minimise the harm caused to communities; Dr John Coyne, Head of Strategic Policing and Law Enforcement Program at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, explains the need for a more nuanced approach, rather than simply decapitating OC groups.

ANALYSIS: The economic impact of COVID-19 is set to significantly increase levels of extreme poverty, and with them the volume of vulnerable people likely to fall prey to people trafficking; Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth looks at the effect of the pandemic on the trade in humans, and the latest efforts to target this transnational crime.

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.