Latest News, Analysis and Opinion  (Page 192)

PSAEW CONFERENCE 2016: Vice President of the Police Superintendents' Association of England and Wales, Ch Supt Paul Griffiths, addresses the Association's National Conference about a future for policing

PSAEW CONFERENCE 2016: Policing Insight's rolling coverage of the National Conference of the Police Superintendents' Association of England and Wales, taking place in Stratford-upon-Avon between Monday 5th to Wednesday 7th September.

NEWS: Ch. Supt. Gavin Thomas of the Police Superintendents’ Association of England and Wales says officers responsible for protecting vulnerable people should have training and development to an agreed national standard. He sets out what he'll tell the Association's annual conference this week.

ANALYSIS: Did parliamentary scrutiny fail in the case of Police Scotland? Kath Murray argues that at least some of the difficulties that have since beset the force might be allied to the Scottish political system - here, she examines the evidence.

OPINION: How inclusive is the modern police force for LGBT officers, and is there work still to do? On 31 August, @WeCops held an online debate on LGBT officers and modern policing, with Detective Superintendent Joanne Edwards (@Joedwar25098564), supported by @lancpolequality as hosts. Eric Halford (@DSEricHalford) summarises the debate.

OPINION: Are senior officers offering a 'tin ear' to complaints of low police morale? Rick Muir, Director of the Police Foundation, considers how best to make positive changes in a context of austerity.

ANALYSIS: Julian Foster, Global co-lead for the Social Media Center of Excellence at Motorola Solutions, examines how social media is being used in policing – the opportunities, success stories, key challenges and future potential.

ANALYSIS: New research by the Police Foundation and Perpetuity Research suggests up to 45% of fraud is linked to organised crime, a much higher percentage than previously thought. Mike Skidmore of the Foundation argues that police should target the problem, not the offenders.

IN THE NEWS: Our Weekly Review, drawing on our popular Media Monitor database, picks up the key news stories and reports of the week, and explains why they matter to you.

OPINION: Cop and comic Alfie Moore takes a wry look at police call handling in the strangest of circumstances - "we're like Google with flashing blue lights!"

OPINION: Charlotte Pickles, Deputy Director and Head of Research at the Reform think tank, looks at the potential for directly elected mayors and identifies lessons from the experience of PCCs

NEWS: Bernard Rix, CoPaCC Chief Executive, provides details of CoPaCC's 2016 examination of PCCs' and OPCCs' transparency

OPINION: Kathryn Holloway, Police and Crime Commissioner for Bedfordshire, marks her first 100 days in office by publishing her first 100 achievements.

Friska Wirya has been engaged for over 18 months at Western Australia Police, the single largest jurisdiction in the world, as a change management specialist supporting the replacement of a mission-critical application. She blogs about the ten key leadership lessons she's learned from working with Western Australia's senior officers.

OPINION: Should the use of Tasers be banned on psychiatric wards, as suggested by Liberal Democrat Health spokesman Norman Lamb? Serving officer Nathan Constable says the proposal fails to acknowledge that there are times when people become so dangerous that staff cannot control them, and that simply banning Tasers doesn't deal with the real issues at stake.

IN THE NEWS: Our new-look Weekly Review, drawing on our popular Media Monitor database, picks up the key news stories and reports of the week, and explains why they matter to you.

NEWS BRIEF: Book your place now for "Brexit: Local implications for policing and security", a lunchtime workshop on 14th September in London. Speakers include serving Police and Crime Commissioner Martyn Underhill and former ACPO President, Sir Hugh Orde. Limited free places available...

OPINION: With increasing pressure on budgets, police officers are spending more time dealing with vulnerable people, and are forced to go on patrol alone. Holly Lynch MP was so concerned for the safety of one officer with whom she went on patrol that she rang 999 to get back-up for him. She calls on the government to support the police properly and to empower other agencies to take a lead on dealing with the vulnerable.

OPINION: The day-to-day work of policing can be deeply traumatic. In a powerful piece, Sgt Harry Tangye recalls one incident that demonstrates the stark reality of policing for those in the job.

OPINION: Sophisticated data and crime analysis should have transformed policing and criminal justice; but instead, taxpayers are funding bloated criminal justice systems and foot patrols in communities where officers have little to do. Tom Gash argues it's time to replace myth-based approaches with those founded on evidence.

Prize draw winner: The lucky winner of the Apple iPad Air 2 randomly drawn from the hundreds of participants is a police inspector currently studying for a BSc in Policing.

OPINION: Critics of Police Now, the Graduate Leadership Development Programme for the police, have warned it will lead to poorly equipped constables who will be found wanting once on the streets. Serving officer Dan Reynolds went to see for himself - and found a cohort with a maturity far in excess of their four weeks in the job.

OPINION: Should drug addicts be treated as victims themselves? Research suggests that prescribing pharmaceutical heroin can reduce the use of street drugs and associated levels of crime. Ron Hogg, former senior police officer, now Durham’s Police, Crime and Victims Commissioner, argues that this isn't going soft on drugs, but going sensible.

OPINION: The police service is undergoing fundamental change through a combination of austerity and alterations in demand. DCC Andy Rhodes revisits transformational change in policing and introduces the parable of the boiling frog to explain what limits the capacity of forces to adapt and transform.