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: The Internet of Things, that network of products and objects using digital communications to connect and exchange data with other devices and systems, is becoming increasingly common in our everyday world; but Dr Lennon Chang of Monash University believes it also represents a significant opportunity for cyber criminals to carry out a much wider range of both cyber-dependent and cyber-enabled crimes.

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 Dr Ian Stanier, Visiting Lecturer at Buckingham University’s Centre for Security and Intelligence, about the importance of CHIS and HUMINT, expanding the capability and capacity of UK covert investigations, and the FIREPLACES informant motivation model.

OPINION: The high-profile case of a TV presenter fined for ‘rape apology’ and ‘offences against decency’ in Côte d’Ivoire has put fears over rape culture in the country back under the spotlight; but University of Bristol Senior Lecturer Dr Peace A. Medie believes that while there are still challenges around support for victims, women’s rights and the policing response, there are also reasons for hope moving forwards.

INNOVATION: Artificial intelligence and machine learning have the potential to revolutionise identification processes for law enforcement; but if they are to be reliable and trusted, those commissioning their use must ensure concerns around gender dimension bias have been addressed from the outset, says Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth.

FEATURE: San Diego Police Department regularly held 170 community meetings every month to encourage public engagement, but when the pandemic arrived, citizen contact moved from face-to-face to online; now the force is hoping a new web-based survey approach will increase public reach and ensure the department’s policing priorities reflect those of the community, as Policing Insight’s Christine Townsend reports.

ANALYSIS: Despite the introduction of a pandemic charging protocol in the UK, the police use of out-of-court disposals and diversion measures changed little during or after lockdown; but as well as improving reoffending outcomes, the increased use of these approaches could be crucial in cutting the significant and problematic Crown Court backlog, argues Transform Justice Director Penelope Gibbs.

POLICING FRIENDSHIP TOUR: World Health Organization Policing Consultant Professor Karl Roberts believes forces responded “incredibly well” to the pandemic, but should build closer relationships with public health agencies to improve the response to future challenges, as he explained to Policing Insight Publisher Bernard Rix on a recent leg of the Policing Friendship Walking Tour.

INTERVIEW: In her recent speech to the NPCC / APCC Partnership Summit, Victims’ Commissioner Dame Vera Baird highlighted the challenges in tackling violence against women and addressing the issue of domestic abusers within police ranks, as well as the opportunity for policing to lead the way on cultural change; this week she spoke to Policing Insight Editor Keith Potter to expand on those concerns, and suggest steps towards restoring confidence among victims.

LONG READ: The death of George Floyd shone the spotlight strongly on police use of force, but many police services and departments had already recognised concerns and were attempting to address the issue; however, the lack of data on the effectiveness of training in areas such as de-escalation have left it difficult to identify what works and why, as Policing Insight Contributing Editor Tina Orr-Munro reports.

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ANALYSIS: Europe’s migrant crisis took a tragic turn this month, with the death of 27 people attempting to cross the Channel from France to the UK; with a significant rise in illegal EU border crossings over the past two years, the Frontex agency has found itself increasingly in the frontline of a political and humanitarian crisis, which has brought its own challenges for the organisation, as Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth reports.

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.

ANALYSIS: The Biden administration’s recent ban on the use of Pegasus spyware in the US represents a strong international statement on human rights and democratic freedoms; but analyst Dr Teagan Westendorf of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute believes it raises serious questions for Australian policing, and the swathe of legislation giving law enforcement new powers to access individuals’ data in the name of tackling ‘exceptional’ or ‘unprecedented’ threats.

INTERVIEW: Police can easily find themselves on the wrong end of a social media storm, either from online trolls or as a result of edited footage; but for recently appointed West Mercia Chief Constable Pippa Mills, Twitter provides an opportunity to engage with the public, praise staff and support colleagues, as she explained to Policing Insight Deputy Editor Sarah Gibbons.

INNOVATION: Investigating domestic abuse takes up a significant proportion of police time and resources, yet successful prosecutions and criminal convictions remain at an unacceptably low level; Simon Franc, Founder and CEO of Anatomap, believes a new free app can empower victims of domestic abuse and other violent offences to improve the quality of evidence in such cases, leading to better outcomes for both victims and police.

POLICING FRIENDSHIP TOUR: Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) David Sidwick is the joint lead on addiction and substance misuse for the Association of PCCs; on a recent leg of the Policing Friendship Walking Tour he explained to Policing Insight Publisher Bernard Rix how the death of a close friend’s teenage daughter through an MDMA overdose, as well as his own career in pharmaceuticals, had motivated him to take up the role.

FEATURE: With the latest figures for assaults on police in the UK showing a 20% increase on the previous year, the effects of violence on officers – and how they are supported – are key concerns; Operation Hampshire, the initiative to improve the service’s response to officer assaults, was the subject of a recent @WeCops Twitter Chat, summarised here by the scheme’s National Co-ordinator, Chief Inspector Dave Brewster, one of the hosts of the debate.

FEATURE: Tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG) has been a constant topic for debate in the UK in recent months, but it’s also a global concern; to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, Associate Professor Dr Sarah Jane Fox of Staffordshire University’s Institute of Policing looks at the worldwide ‘16 days of activity’ campaign to target VAWG and reduce gender inequality.

ANALYSIS: Approaches and attitudes towards continuing professional development (CPD) vary markedly across sectors and among employers and employees – and as a result, so do outcomes; in the second in a series of articles on CPD, Dr Paul Walley, Director of Learning at the Open University’s Centre for Policing Research and Learning, highlights some of the key elements of a successful approach, including organisational and leadership support, and consistent standards.

ANALYSIS: The introduction of body-worn cameras among US police forces and the subsequent improvement in evidential quality has helped to reduce the racial disparity in the response to complaints about police misconduct, according to new research by Professors Suat Cubukcu, Erdal Tekin, Nusret Sahin and Volkan Topalli.

FEATURE: As the number of women losing their lives to domestic violence continues to grow, could training in recognising and acting upon indicators of violence and aggression help to reduce levels of femicide? Ahead of next week’s London Policing College Domestic Abuse conference, analyst-profiler Christine Gagnon looks at efforts to provide such training, as well as plans to develop a specific psycho-legal compilation of verbal and non-verbal indicators that would be admissible in court.

FEATURE: With police officers making crucial decisions every day – in some cases on life or death issues – it’s essential that hearing is good enough for them to receive the information they need, yet no nationally consistent test of job-specific hearing ability exists within the police service; Postgraduate Researcher Kerry Barker of the University of Southampton explains the work currently being done to develop an evidence-based test, and how officers can help.

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.