OPINION: With the Police and Crime Act 2017 receiving Royal Assent and the new statutory duty for the emergency services to collaborate coming into force in April, the Minister of State for Policing and the Fire Service hails the opportunities for the fire and rescue services to develop closer and stronger partnerships with policing
ANALYSIS: The fourth of a monthly series in which CoPaCC's Sandra Andrews takes a look at some of the most interesting and topical issues that Police and Crime Panels across England and Wales are dealing with. This month, Sandra looks at Dorset's work to improve its own performance, and examines the determination of allowances for Panel members in other PCPs.
OPINION: Policing is being asked to move in two different directions at once: to grapple with geographically mobile crime, and to deal with increasingly complex issues requiring complex local solutions. Rick Muir of the Police Foundation makes a powerful case for deeper collaboration between agencies to tackle the challenges ahead.
OPINION: Earlier this month, Justice Minister Liz Truss announced the rebranding of the National Offenders' Management Service as Her Majesty's Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS). Andrew Sperling of Olliers Solicitors warns that the new organisation needs to demonstrate real change - or the alterations announced amount to no more than putting lipstick on a pig.
OPINION: Taking on a 45,000-strong organisation, with a budget of more than £2.5 billion would stretch the most seasoned corporate executive - and the Met faces some serious challenges in the years ahead. Nick Alston of Anglia Ruskin University's Policing Institute for the Eastern Region warns that the role may be too demanding for any senior officer.
Opinion: Sir Hugh Orde OBE QPM, former chief constable of PSNI and head of what was then the Association of Chief Police Officers explores the challenges facing Cressida Dick, the newly-appointed Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service, and the skills and attributes she brings to the role.
OPINION: The use of spit hoods has become steeped in controversy in recent months. For officers, they are vital protection against contagious diseases such as HIV and Hep C, but for others they are primitive and are being introduced without proper consultation. Policing Insight takes a look at both sides of the debate with Ian Pointon, chairman of Kent Police Federation and leading human rights lawyer Chris Topping presenting opposing views.
OPINION: Cressida Dick has today been appointed as the new Metropolitan Police Commissioner, replacing outgoing Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe. Chief Superintendent John Sutherland takes an insider's look at what will be waiting in the new Commissioner's in-tray.
OPINION: With the announcement today of Cressida Dick as the new Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, Rory Geoghegan of the Centre for Public Safety offers an account of the four major challenges facing the new Commissioner and the Met in the years ahead.
ANALYSIS: Though football crowd violence is less of a critical issue in the UK than it was in the 1980s, it remains a key concern in countries such as Sweden. Professor Clifford Stott outlines how partnership between academics and police forces has led to the development of theory and practice in reducing crowd violence, and flags up an upcoming CPD event at Keele University.
Interview: The long-awaited introduction of a new National ANPR System (NAS), originally scheduled to be in place by April 2016, has moved a step closer this year following a successful bid to the Police Transformation Fund to establish a National ANPR Co-ordinator and Transformation Team.Keith Potter speaks to Temporary Superintendent John Dwyer of North Yorkshire Police.
Interview: The Essex Police and Crime Commissioner is leading the race to become the first Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner. Catherine Levin asks Roger Hirst about the urgency, benefits and costs of taking on responsibility for Essex County Fire and Rescue Service (ECFRS)
ANALYSIS: DCC Louisa Rolfe oversees West Midlands Police's WMP2020 change programme that features 33 individual projects designed to make the force more agile when fighting crime and more accessible to the public. Here, she explains how the force's innovative collaboration with Accenture is progressing.
ANALYSIS: Her Majesty The Queen last week opened the operational nerve centre known as the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) to manage cyber incidents. Michael Shuff, Marketing Lead at PA Consulting's specialist cyber security arm, 7Safe, takes a look at the NCSC's role.
OPINION: The College of Policing recently announced three future entry streams to policing, one of which was a pre-entry degree qualification. Serving officer Rich Honess outlines his suggestions as to how those degrees might be structured, based on his previous experience of teacher training.
ANALYSIS: Last week the Police Foundation published its latest paper, A Natural Experiment in Neighbourhood Policing, from its Police Effectiveness in a Changing World project. Andy Higgins of the Foundation outlines the ramifications for neighbourhood policing, as the Foundation launches its new research project to explore its future.
OPINION: Research by the PSAEW into public protection units (PPUs) in police forces across England and Wales explored how cultural attitudes are creating difficulties for the recruitment, retention, morale and effectiveness of PPU. Gavin Thomas of the PSAEW argues that a change in police culture from blame to learning could help to overcome many of these difficulties.
OPINION: A recent survey of Metropolitan Police officers suggested that, while few wanted to be routinely armed, as many as three quarters of officers would like to be able to carry Tasers on duty. However, Professor Peter Squires of the University of Brighton argues that doing so could make the public less rather than more safe.
