2nd August 2016
NEWS BRIEF: Bernard Rix, Chief Executive of CoPaCC, announces a lunchtime workshop on 14th September in London. This event, hosted by leading lawyers Field Fisher, will explore the likely local impact of Brexit on policing and security stakeholders. Save the date!
ANALYSIS: Controversial predictive tools for offender management are increasingly being used in the US to determine sentencing. Marion Oswald (Winchester University) and Jamie Grace (Sheffield Hallam University) examine the use of algorithmic risk assessment tools, and call for an open debate in the UK about where the red lines should be.
OPINION: How should 'blue light' services communicate with the people they serve? Dan Slee examines the work that comms teams in the Fire and Rescue Services have been doing to get their life-saving messages across, and what lessons there are for other public services.
EXCLUSIVE: Lord Willy Bach, the first serving parliamentarian to be elected as a Police and Crime Commissioner, talks about the learning curve for PCCs, appointing a deputy, and why 'blue light' mergers could leave the Fire Service as the poor relation.
OPINION: Arfon Jones, newly elected PCC for North Wales and one of the first two Plaid Cymru PCCs, talks about his background as a police officer, the Home Office's obsession with crime statistics, and his focus on domestic violence and youth justice.
OPINION: Photos of a gay Metropolitan Police officer proposing to his partner at London Pride last month were shared nationally and internationally, and highlighted the changes that have taken place in police culture and attitudes over the last several decades. Steve Bax of the Police Federation of England and Wales explores how these changes have affected officers on the ground, and what still needs to be done.
ANALYSIS: Rick Muir, Director of the Police Foundation, identifies a wide set of challenges faced by police, and argues that tackling those deep rooted problems associated with these challenges cannot be undertaken by the police alone.
OPINION: Dealing with the most vulnerable is a priority for the police. On 22 July, @WeCops held an online debate on early intervention, with CI Justin Srivastava (@CiSrivastava) as the guest host. Eric Halford (@DSEricHalford) summarises the debate and why early intervention matters - and how it can be done better.
ANALYSIS: With the newly elected PCCs coming to the end of their first 80 days in the job, what lessons might there be from the first set of incumbents? Dr Matthew Davies of RAND Europe outlines the findings of his report, Driving accountability from within: Key lessons for newly elected Police and Crime Commissioners.
ANALYSIS: Gavin Hales, Deputy Director of the Police Foundation, introduces the Foundation's latest report which draws on a five-year research project. Gavin will be leading a Twitter discussion of this at 1100hrs on Wednesday 20 July.
OPINION: What does 'confidence' in policing really mean? Dr Kevin Morrell of Warwick Business School is taking a year's fellowship to explore the ramifications of 'confidence' and to open up dialogue and to develop fresh insights into public confidence in the police.
