FEATURE: As movements of migrants and refugees across European borders reaches new levels in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, ensuring border security while protecting refugees and preserving human rights has become increasingly difficult; Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth reports on the latest EU funding for police and security projects that will help countries to meet those complex challenges.

FEATURE: With law enforcement in the US and globally having experienced an unprecedented challenge in the form of COVID-19, the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) has gathered together the relevant research, experiences and impact of the pandemic to produce a recent ‘lessons learned’ publication, as Policing Insight’s Christine Townsend reports.

INSIGHT: After more than a decade in the Metropolitan Police Service, DC Lee Ellis was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS); but having accepted and adapted to her disability, she is now embarking on the Police Now Frontline Leadership programme, as she explains in this article written to highlight MS Awareness Week.

LONG READ: Recent years have seen renewed efforts from the UK criminal justice system to tackle domestic abuse and violence against women and girls; but for Robert Wells, founder of Domestic Abuse Business Support (DABS), while the greater focus is welcome, the gender bias across society and in the criminal justice approach to domestic abuse and violence is leaving male victims unrecognised, unsupported and at risk.

OPINION: With police resources regularly overstretched, many officers voice concerns that they don’t have enough time to spend with victims to deliver a better service and improve satisfaction rates; but Police Foundation Associate Malcolm Hibberd argues that what officers can say in 30 seconds or less has a major impact on a crime victim’s experience of policing.

OPINION: With the information war increasingly taking place on digital platforms, and cheaper technology making covert surveillance more available, some argue that the importance of human intelligence (HUMINT) sources in law enforcement appears to be diminishing; but Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth believes HUMINT still has an essential role to play in meeting strategic intelligence requirements.

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.

OPINION: Recent reforms to the police complaints and discipline system in England and Wales have emphasised lesson-learning rather than discipline; University of Bristol Law Lecturer Dr Claire Torrible argues that as a result of the changes, police professional standards departments now have greater autonomy but less accountability.

FEATURE: The UK’s police uplift recruitment programme and the police education qualification framework are creating a younger, less experienced but better educated service; Lancashire police officer Fran Wright, currently seconded to the Open University as a lecturer, looks at what this workforce shift means for the role of tutor constables, and how it is likely to change the nature and demographic of the tutors.

ANALYSIS: Following Canada’s legalisation of cannabis, some cities are now looking to decriminalise personal possession of all illegal drugs, as a public health-driven response to the country’s opioid overdose crisis; Policing Insight’s Keith Potter looks at the background to the proposals, the qualified support from police chiefs such as Toronto’s James Ramer, and how the drug enforcement landscape is shifting.

LONG READ: A research collaboration between Forensic Analytics and criminal justice consultancy Crest Advisory is exploring the role of technology in the criminal exploitation of children by ‘county lines’ gangs; in this first long-read article from the research, Joe Caluori and Beth Mooney consider what law enforcement agencies can learn from the early use of tech by county lines operators.

ANALYSIS: In the latest in our series of articles on continuing professional development in policing, Dr Emma Williams of the Open University’s Centre for Policing Research explores the importance of CPD in wellbeing, particularly in relation to equipping officers with the skills, knowledge and learning required to investigate complex rape cases and sexual offences more effectively.

ANALYSIS: As new footage continues to highlight horrific images of the devastation wrought by the Russian military in Ukraine, preparations are already underway to ensure that war criminals can be prosecuted post-conflict; Policing Insight contributor Gareth Bryon, and former police detective and war crime investigator Howard Tucker, consider the challenges facing those trying to build a case, and the processes involved.

FEATURE: The latest report from the Centre of expertise on child sexual abuse has highlighted a “large and growing gap” between the estimated prevalence of child sexual abuse in England and Wales and the official recorded figures, as well as “significant” regional variations in both child protection plans and the levels of offences recorded by police, as Policing Insight’s Keith Potter reports.

INTERVIEW: Boulder PD Chief Maris Herold has a wealth of policing experience, including at the forefront of significant reform; she spoke to Policing Insight’s Christine Townsend about the holistic governance approach, the importance of involving communities and other agencies in tackling gun crime, and why police departments need to focus more strongly on prevention rather than reaction.

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.

FREE SUBSCRIBER ACCESS: Policing Insight welcomes staff, students and researchers from the University of South Wales who now have FREE access with the start of a new organisation wide subscription. They join a community from many other UK and international institutions, police forces and other criminal justice organisations with an interest in progressive policing. Read on to find out how to use your FREE subscriber access.

ANALYSIS: Established in 2017, the police super-complaint process allows designated bodies to raise concerns about policing practices which harm the public; policing expert Ben Twomey takes an in-depth look at the impact the new process could have, and also explores how the Criminal Justice Alliance super-complaint against s60 stop and searches has developed.

INTERVIEW: In the latest in a series of interviews with leading figures involved in the research and investigation of organised crime, Policing Insight’s Chris Allen spoke to criminologist and author Professor Dick Hobbs about the impossibility of eradicating organised crime, the importance of localised knowledge in understanding criminal activity, and whether the term ‘organised crime’ really has any value.

OPINION: UK policing budgets remain under pressure, and spend on IT often takes the hit; but Simon Hall, CEO of police digital mobility platform PoliceBox, believes that approaching expenditure on Software-as-a-Service and cloud platforms as an operational rather than capital cost could overcome the budget barriers while also improving forces’ technological capabilities.

LONG READ: The recent Strategic Review of Policing called for those facing a charge for drugs possession to be ‘consistently diverted toward a social intervention and away from the criminal justice system’; independent consultant Geoff Monaghan takes a closer look at what the recommendation means, and considers whether this represents a new route or well-worn track for drug misusing offenders.

ANALYSIS: As the UK Government considers its response to the consultation on a new Victims’ Bill, fresh research has highlighted the barriers to justice faced by those who speak English as a second language – including victims arrested as offenders because of interpretation errors – as Policing Insight Deputy Editor Sarah Gibbons reports.

OPINION: South Africa’s Defence Minister recently lamented the low levels of public trust in policing; research by Dr Benjamin Roberts and Dr Steven Gordon of the Human Sciences Research Council found that while a lack of confidence in policing is nothing new, levels dipped in 2021, and suggest steps such as increasing policing accountability, reducing the militaristic police ethos and promoting competent and ethical leadership will need to be taken to restore that confidence.

ANALYSIS: As recent terrorist attacks in Israel have increased tensions again in the region, Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth looks back at the first incident of exported terrorism from the UK – the 2003 bombing of Mike’s Place in Tel Aviv – and considers how such events have shaped the country’s counter-terror stance and response to home-grown terrorism.