Latest News, Analysis and Opinion  (Page 15)

OPINION: In an opinion piece that sets out to challenge UK policing’s “intellectual and doctrinal confusion”, recently re-elected Wiltshire PCC Philip Wilkinson argues that most of the public “feel abandoned to the intimidatory threats of vocal and shrill minorities”, amid concerns over “risk-averse” policing leadership and a perception that forces are failing to police without fear or favour.

INNOVATION: Against the backdrop of changing legislation and technological innovation, police and technology advisor Paul Kennedy, and Josh Hartlage, founder of tech company AdventFS, explore how technologies can help police and other agencies to be more efficient and effective in the application of out-of-court resolutions, guided by the principle that OOCRs should always meet the needs of victims, first and foremost.

FEATURE: With artificial intelligence increasingly important in the investigation process for collating and analysing large volumes of data, new EU funding is now up for grabs for proposals that can help policing and security practitioners undertake fast and flexible analysis of large data sets to improve the fight against transnational crime and terrorism, as Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth reports.

FREE SUBSCRIBER ACCESS: Policing Insight welcomes staff and students at Birmingham City and Edinburgh Napier Universities who now have FREE subscriber access with the start of new organisation wide subscriptions. They join a community of students, staff and officers from many other UK and international police, criminal justice and emergency services organisations with an interest in progressive policing. Read on to find out how to use your FREE subscriber access.

OPINION: In the wake of DS Peter Romanis’ recent article on compassion fatigue, former Scottish police officer and active bystander trainer Graham Goulden explores further the damage to officer wellbeing created by over-exposure to trauma, and the effect this can have both on officers and the communities they serve.

ANALYSIS: It’s now six months since the largest pro-Palestinian March in London, and the reaction to the policing of the event that led to the departure of Home Secretary Suella Braverman; as protests around the Middle East conflict continue, highlighted recently with the handling of an antisemitism campaigner’s attempt to walk through a march, Policing Insight’s Graham Wettone looks again at the claims of two-tier policing, the difficulties officers face, and the role politicians play in increasing tension.

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.

INNOVATION: As part of a wider initiative to tackle violence in the night-time economy, West Yorkshire Police has used targeted social media campaigns appearing on mobile devices, with impressive results; as other forces look to learn from West Yorkshire’s success, Ch Insp James Kitchen spoke to Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons about the thinking behind the project, and how similar approaches could offer potential in tackling other challenges.

OPINION: UK policing faces a continuing struggle to leverage the maximum effectiveness and efficiency out of the use of new technology, while accommodating concerns around ethics and human rights; Darren Scates, the Met Police Chief Digital Data and Technology Officer, looks at some of the particular challenges around the practical implementation and delivery of innovative technologies, and suggests steps the service could take to improve outcomes.

OPINION: Australian legislation enabling the repudiation of citizenship of those who engage in terrorism also means that those who commit conflict-related crimes including sexual violence escape prosecution, says PhD scholar Susan Hutchinson of the Australian National University, who calls for a new dedicated unit in the Australian Federal Police to investigate and prosecute such crimes.

FEATURE: Last month saw the launch of the Police Scotland Sikh Association, the latest addition to the National Police Sikh Association which has already successfully engaged with the Home Office on issues such as the wearing of the Kirpan and the use of face coverings during Covid; Policing Insight’s Martin Gallagher reports on the birth of a new organisation with a focus on support and engagement.

ANALYSIS: With police ‘culture’ the focus of several reports and reviews, and a hot topic for conversation inside and outside the service, many UK forces have been re-examining their own internal cultures and looking for routes to improvement; Richie Maddock, an organisational development and cultural change specialist, explains the work he has been doing with Lincolnshire Police to help the force embark on its own culture journey.

INTERVIEW: Victoria Police Detective Sergeant Peter Romanis believes that ‘compassion fatigue’ – a combination of accumulated secondary traumatic stress and burnout – poses the most significant threat to the mental health of emergency services workers, and hope a new report detailing the findings of his research into the issue will prove beneficial to officers and staff, as he explained to Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons.

ANALYSIS: With all 37 police and crime commissioners and police, fire and crime commissioners across England and Wales due to take office tomorrow (Thursday, 2 May), Policing Insight rounds up the campaign commitments, pledges and victory comments from the latest cohort of commissioners – including some new names, several familiar faces, and some long-serving office holders.

ANALYSIS: The rising incidence of women’s deaths as a result of male violence in Australia has prompted some to call for the wider use of domestic violence disclosure schemes, but research by Monash University Professor Dr Kate Fitz-Gibbon, and Lecturer Ellen Reeves and Professor Sarah Walklate of the University of Liverpool, suggests such schemes can put victim-survivors in greater danger, with resources better invested elsewhere.

ANALYSIS: Last week’s PCC elections in England and Wales were a combination of predictable wins, surprise victories and tight contests, against the backdrop of a low turnout and minimal media coverage; Policing Insight’s Academic Editor Dr Carina O’Reilly takes a closer look at the policy and political implications of the results, and whether this year’s outcomes could affect campaigning techniques and voting intentions in future PCC elections.

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.

ANALYSIS: With the major media focus and political campaigning around the local council and mayoral elections last week, the police and crime commissioner (PCC) elections which were running in tandem slipped past largely unnoticed outside policing circles; Policing Insight’s Ian Wiggett looks at the significant ‘red tide’ that replaced 2021’s ‘blue wave’, as well as the challenges facing the new office holders, and the concerns over low voter turnout.

FEATURE: At a recent meeting of European police chiefs, both Europol Executive Director Catherine de Bolle and NCA Director General Graeme Biggar voiced concerns over the risks of end-to-end encryption undermining people’s safety online; Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth explores the public-private partnerships between tech and law enforcement, and how the success of online terrorism regulation could offer solutions.

FEATURE: Chief constables in England and Wales are planning a strategy to promote policing history and say it will link to the National Police Race Action Plan and their work to prevent violence against women and girls; Policing Insight’s Ian Weinfass spoke to national lead on police heritage Peter Gillett and other experts to explore the issue.

Analysis: The latest National Wastewater Drug Monitoring Program report from the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission suggested a 17% increase in drug consumption over the previous 12 months; the Australian Strategic Policy Institutes John Coyne believes that more attention should be paid to these sophisticated analyses, and that the findings highlight the need for a new approach to drug policies that should incorporate wider harm reduction and prevention strategies.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: Join us for a series of forums in New Zealand and across Australia from 11th to 20th June, sharing the journey of a range of forces and other law enforcement agencies and their adoption of NICE Digital Evidence Management Systems (DEMS). The sessions will be invaluable to police forces in Australia and New Zealand as they plan to introduce the system.

INNOVATION: A new digital notebook app being rolled out across NZ Police – the latest step towards Commissioner Andrew Coster’s goal of a fully digitalised case environment – offers a real-time facility with clear time and date stamps, improved case management, and transparent audit trail to generate greater confidence in the criminal justice process, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

INNOVATION: In the latest in a series of articles exploring how artificial intelligence (AI) can be used in policing, Chief Philip Lukens explores the potentially revolutionary benefits of AI X-ray vision in police searches and emergency rescue and recovery operations, as well as the technical, legal and ethical challenges that the use of such technology could bring.