Latest News, Analysis and Opinion  (Page 3)

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: Domestic abuse specialists will be installed in 999 control rooms as part of the introduction of Raneem’s Law. This has already been rolled out across five forces in England and Wales, and further guidance will follow this year. It forms part of the Government's ongoing mission to combat abuse and violence against women and girls. As well as strengthening the police’s response to domestic abuse, it aims to offer enhanced, long-term protection for all victims.

FEATURE: Earlier this year more than 40 academics and police practitioners gathered at Canterbury Christ Church University’s Centre for Policing Research (CCPR) to explore both the strategic importance of wellbeing and the practical steps being taken to support officers and staff in frontline and specialist roles, as Policing Insight’s Dr Carina O’Reilly reports.

OPINION: The US first declared its ‘war on terror’ in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, and the impact of the approach was felt by policing in America and elsewhere; Liverpool John Moores University Policing Lecturer James Williams looks at the changing nature of US counter-terrorism since 9/11, the growing focus on domestic terrorism, and the increasing threat posed by online extremism and ‘lone wolf’ attacks.

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.

FEATURE: A new report by Children’s Commissioner for England Dame Rachel de Souza into the involvement of children in the riots across the UK last summer has found that “significant work” is still to be done to create a child-first approach to justice, while a strong distrust of police underlines “an urgent need for child-centred policing”, and conversations with children didn’t support the narrative that online misinformation or right-wing influences were responsible young people being “enticed to join in the aggression”, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

ANALYSIS: New laws proposed by the UK Government will be the first in the world to make it an offence to possess, create or distribute AI tools designed to generate child sexual abuse material; Simon Bailey, Chair of the International Policing and Public Protection Research Institute (IPPPRI), and IPPPRI Director, Professor Sam Lundigran, explain why the new laws will be crucial in the fight against the growing scale of AI-generated online child abuse images.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: Leadership, knowledge and application are the fundamentals to continuous education and training across all policing fields, essential to keep updated on best practices, legal changes and evolving community needs. The Liverpool Centre for Advanced Policing Studies (LCAPS) offers a comprehensive learning portfolio featuring academic policing programs designed to equip police professionals with the essential skills needed to apply to the everchanging complex challenges of modern policing.

INTERVIEW: Since taking up her post as Iceland’s National Police Commissioner five years ago, Sigríður Björk Guðjónsdóttir has made significant strides in addressing gender inequality within the force, and in the service it provides; she spoke to Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons about the need to keep pushing for greater gender equality, the new approaches to responding to domestic violence, and why appointing senior leaders from outside of policing helps to change potentially damaging cultures.

FEATURE: The ‘Clear, Hold, Build’ programme to tackle serious and organised crime (SOC) – implemented across almost all territorial police forces in England and Wales – is successfully driving down acquisitive crime and promoting partnership approaches that are ending silo working, according to a new evaluation report, although challenges still remain in some areas around community perceptions and long-term resilience, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

ANALYSIS: Investigative genetic genealogy is being used by police forces around the world to identify both the discovered remains of unknown individuals, and to track down those responsible for murders and other violent crimes; in this edited version of her Churchill Fellowship report, Dr Emma Tilley of the University of Staffordshire looks at the use of investigative genetic genealogy in police investigations around the world, the benefits and challenges it offers, and how can UK policing can implement this new technique.

FEATURE: A tri-agency response to those in mental health crisis involving members of the police, ambulance and clinical services has been further expanded across Tasmania after implementation of the approach in other parts of the state successfully reduced the need for individuals to be restrained or involuntarily detained in hospital, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

ANALYSIS: With illicit drug use increasing by 20% over the past decade, University of York Honorary Fellow and Associate Professor Ian Hamilton looks at the scale of the harm done by drugs around the world, the changing trends in supply and demand, and calls for a “complete shift” in the way governments and societies recognise and respond to what has become a global threat.

FEATURE: Recognising the threat posed by terrorist content online (TCO), the European Commission first presented legislation to tackle the problem in 2018, with the EU TCO Regulations coming into force in June 2022; now the work of three projects – set up to help hosting service providers (HSPs) meet the risk to European security – has reached fruition, offering HSPs a wealth of guidelines, training tools and other resources, as Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth reports.

INNOVATION: The continuing development of digital and multi-channel public contact is a key issue for policing across England and Wales; in the third in the Policing Tech Forum series of webinars produced by PolicingTV, Ch Supt Tony Josephs, NPCC Digital Public Contact Programme Director, Tony Jackson, Head of Digital Futures at Merseyside Police, and Martin Taylor, Deputy CEO of Content Guru, explored opportunities to enhance the public experience through the My Police Portal and other technology, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

FEATURE: In the latest article in The Police Student series, Policing Insight Academic Editor Dr Carina O’Reilly explores the different courts within the criminal justice system and the roles of those who work in them, the sentencing options available to the courts, and the public perceptions of those decisions and how they are made.

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.

FEATURE: A National Audit Office ‘value for money’ report into the work of the Government and Home Office to tackle violence against women and girls (VAWG) has warned that efforts to improve the outcome for victims have largely failed so far, with the Home Office failing to lead an effective cross-government response, and a generally limited understanding of the resources allocated to tackling VAWG or their impact, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

OPINION: The Police Superintendents’ Association (PSA) and the Superintendents’ Association of Northern Ireland recently submitted evidence to the Police Remuneration Review Body on pay and conditions, calling for (amongst other things) a fully funded 4.8% pay rise across all ranks, and a new health and wellbeing structure for officers and staff; PSA National Secretary Chief Superintendent Warren Franklin explains the reasoning behind the submission, and the need for a long-term strategy going forwards.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: The International Association of Women Police (IAWP) offers annual recognition for female and male officers in various categories. Submission can be made online using the electronic nomination form. Nominations close at midnight EST on February 28th so please hurry and make your nominations!

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: Technology is transforming the delivery of policing. From robotics and augmented reality simulations to behaviour analysis and digital evidence, technology is enhancing police efficiency, accuracy and productivity worldwide. Now the power and possibilities of artificial intelligence are being harnessed to develop and deliver one of the most basic and essential of all policing skills - effective interviewing. This game-changing new AI training solution is called ECHOMIND.

INTERVIEW: Just over two years after taking up her post as the first female officer to lead Tasmania Police, Commissioner Donna Adams spoke to Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons about the innovative changes to recruitment and retention, the dangers of “scope creep” across the service, and the need to learn from the past while looking to the future in order to build trust in the force.

INNOVATION: There is enormous potential for artificial intelligence (AI) to assist with policing, but to realise that potential it’s important to gain public acceptance; in the first in a series of three articles on AI in policing, Matt Palmer, Product Director, Public Safety from NEC Software Solutions, recommends being open with the public about how AI is used.

FEATURE: Policing Insight’s Ian Weinfass reports on what was discussed at a first-of-a-kind international symposium on boosting trust and confidence in policing, including new research on winning public support and the importance of listening to communities.

FEATURE: In the wake of a joint investigation into a super complaint over police-perpetrated domestic abuse (PPDA), the Independent Office for Police Conduct has now published its review of the way forces in England and Wales handle such cases, with calls for improved training for frontline officers on the potentially complex nature of PPDA, the need for better recording and vetting, and greater consideration of the impartiality of investigations, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.