Latest News, Analysis and Opinion  (Page 81)

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.

ANALYSIS: A new survey of UK counter-fraud teams has highlighted a surging crime generating huge volumes of data, with specialists struggling to secure investment in technology and recruit staff; but despite the challenges, the report also points to pockets of best practice and opportunities to improve prevention, as Policing Insight’s Keith Potter reports.

ANALYSIS: The recent controversies around ‘shameful’ behaviour and policing failings in the Metropolitan Police Service have prompted a wider debate about policing culture and identity across UK forces; in this article Professor Simon Robinson and Dr Jonathan Smith argue the need for policing to establish a clearer professional identity, with the lead taken nationally rather than left to be addressed by individual forces.

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: Despite travel restrictions imposed during Covid – and with the war in Ukraine now sparking a refugee exodus – criminal networks smuggling people into Europe increased their activity in 2021 after several years of declining figures, according to the latest Europol Migrant Smuggling Centre Report; Policing Insight’s Chris Allen looks at the report and highlights its key findings.

ANALYSIS: The New York Police Department and Mayor of New York, Eric Adams, are caught on the horns of a dilemma – how to tackle the city’s spiralling gun crime while controlling the community resentment created by years of overzealous law enforcement; Policing Insight contributors Gareth Bryon and Dr Dorothy Moses Schulz explore the strategies that Mr Adams and NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell will use to re-balance public safety concerns.

FEATURE: Police forces around the world have established special weapons and tactics (SWAT) units to tackle some of the most dangerous and demanding situations; the recent international UAE SWAT Challenge in Dubai gave forces the opportunity to test their skills, share experiences and exchange best practice, as Dr Jorge Román of Dubai Police explains.

ANALYSIS: With artificial intelligence (AI) increasingly utilised in policing, regulation and governance of the new technology, as well as recognition of its limitations, will be crucial if communities are to support its wider use; Analyst Dr Teagan Westendorf of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute takes a closer look at the implications of AI for policing in Australia.