Latest News, Analysis and Opinion  (Page 104)

OPINION: There are calls for a return to ‘pre-charge bail’ in the UK, which was radically changed and widely replaced by ‘released under investigation’ conditions in 2017; but Penelope Gibbs, Director of Transform Justice, fears the move is being driven by assumptions rather than research or real evidence about what is most effective.

CHRISTMAS GREETINGS: Our Publisher, Bernard Rix, reflects on Policing Insight’s last 12 months, sets out our Christmas and New Year schedule, and takes a look on what we’re planning for 2021...

OPINION: For those still having to deal with the pandemic and police the latest round of COVID-19 restrictions, festive good wishes seem strangely out of place; perhaps, as Policing Insight Editor Keith Potter suggests, the best we can hope for is a lockdown-induced, crime-free Christmas, and – when it finally arrives – a well-deserved break.

Top Articles 2020: Policing Insight Editor Keith Potter leads the team in selecting their favourite articles published in 2020. The editorial team have each selected their ‘Top 10’ picks and we have made them freely available during the Christmas period for all users with at least a free registered account. We hope you enjoy our selections!

INTERVIEW: While many police organisations and leaders struggle to use social media effectively, Northamptonshire Chief Constable Nick Adderley regularly engages in Twitter exchanges with the wider public, while also vlogging to his own staff; Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons spoke to Mr Adderley about his online profile, his efforts to ensure openness, and why he believes good leaders need to ‘keep their hand in’.

FEATURE: The most recent @WeCops Twitter chat focused on domestic abuse and the impact of COVID-19, exploring issue around how the pandemic has changed the reporting and response, how partners and support agencies have coped, and what lessons police have learned; Thames Valley Police Superintendent and WeCops team member Katy Barrow-Grint pulls together the key points from the debate.

ANALYSIS: As a tumultuous 2020 draws to a close, Katherine Van Gurp, Chief Executive Officer of the Australia New Zealand Policing Advisory Agency, explores how some of the main changes and shifting trends of recent times have collided with the pressures of the present, and what this may mean for policing and wider society moving forwards.

INNOVATION: Radios are an essential lifeline for frontline police officers – which is why technological advances in the development of devices must adopt an evolutionary rather than revolutionary approach, one that takes account of users’ instinctive responses, digital expectations and the potential for integration, as Katja Millard of Motorola Solutions explains.

ANALYSIS: Many police and support agencies have spoken of the rise in domestic abuse cases due to the COVID-19 lockdown, but empirical evidence has been lacking; now new research by Dr Katrin Hohl of City, University of London and Dr Kelly Johnson of Durham University has revealed both the scale and complex nature of the pandemic’s impact on domestic abuse, and the need for police to prepare for a post-lockdown surge in reporting.

OPINION: Being a police officer was Sam Smith’s dream job, but when his mental health began to suffer as a result of his career choice, the lack of resilience training and minimal support meant the dream turned sour; now the former Hertfordshire PC has launched the Green Ribbon Policing campaign, calling for a mandatory national standard for mental health within policing.

FEATURE: New research highlights 'massive inequalities’ in the UK murder rates for different ethnic communities, with homicide levels more than 20 times higher per 100,000 of the population among some black age groups, compared to the white community; now researchers are calling for closer scrutiny of the figures to enable forces to tackle racial disparity more effectively, reports Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons.

INTERVIEW: Former Royal Canadian Mounted Police Commissioner Bob Paulson looks at the problems the force faces around diversity and discrimination, the effects of unionisation, concerns over militarisation of the RCMP, and fears over the wider erosion of police independence, in the second part of his interview with Policing Insight.

OPINION: The digital data trail each of us leaves online is commonly used by commercial organisations to target marketing and sales efforts; but as Dr Roberto Musotto, a Research Fellow at Western Australia’s Edith Cowan University explains, ‘social network analysis’ could be a crucial tool in enabling judges and jurors to assess the value of evidence in complex cases.

OPINION: Only 3% of the estimated 3.8 million UK fraud offences in 2019 resulted in a prosecution, and the pandemic has presented fraudsters with the perfect climate to carry out more crimes; Waheed Saleem, Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner in the West Midlands, believes an overhaul of fraud reporting and a new coordinated policing response are crucial to fighting the fraudsters.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: Policing is under pressure to be become trusted, ethical and digital savvy whilst criminal investigations become more complex with increasing volumes of digital evidence. Andrew Martin of Cellebrite, presents a new report "Envisioning a New Framework for Investigations" and highlights the digital transformation at Leicestershire Police.

FEATURE: Speaking at the recent London Policing College’s Police in the time of Pandemic conference, National Police Chiefs’ Council Chair Martin Hewitt outlined the sometimes ‘tense and difficult’ relationship between police and the UK Government during the COVID-19 crisis, and praised the efforts of officers and staff; Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

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: London Policing College’s recent Policing in the Time of Pandemic conference included a focus on COVID-19’s impact on domestic abuse and harmful practices; Polly Harrar, founder of The Sharan Project and Joint Chair of the London Harmful Practices Working Group, highlights the key messages from the workshops held ahead of the conference, and the lessons for policing moving forwards.

FREE SUBSCRIBER ACCESS: Policing Insight welcomes officers and staff from Warwickshire 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.

OPINION: Tackling the county lines drug trade and protecting vulnerable youngsters exploited by dealers is a challenge for many UK forces, and was the key focus for the @WeCops Twitter chat at the end of November; in this article @WeCops Dr Emma Williams brings together the main points from the debate.

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.

INTERVIEW: A 24/7 digital contact management system being pioneered by Surrey Police could improve relations with reluctant to engage communities and strengthen neighbourhood policing; Chief Constable Gavin Stephens tells Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons how the digital approach could help to rebuild public trust.

FEATURE: It’s been a tough year for policing – and for communities generally – around the world, but as Christmas approaches, the police family are digging deep to help each other as well as those less fortunate; Australian-based nurse and mental health champion Melissa Gole highlights some of the many fundraising efforts that those within policing can support this festive season.

INTERVIEW: Keeping concealed and prohibited items out of operational police premises is a major security challenge, amplified by COVID-19 social distancing requirements. Professor Garik Markarian, CEO of Rinicom Ltd, explains to Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth the aims of Project Artifact, which advances non-invasive security screening to detect the hostile intentions of visitors, contractors and suppliers, as well as insider threats.