FEATURE: The volume and accessibility of online child sexual abuse material (CSAM) has increased considerably in recent years, prompting concerns from police, legislators and the public; ahead of next week’s Australia and New Zealand Society of Evidence-Based Policing Conference, Dr Rick Brown, Deputy Director of the Australian Institute of Criminology, outlines some of the key research and initiatives already underway to reduce CSAM in the future.

POLICING FRIENDSHIP TOUR: Policing Insight Publisher Bernard Rix’s Policing Friendship Tour recently caught up with Ian Bell, CEO of the Police Digital Service (PDS), for a stroll around the urban landscape of Wembley; after 18 months of rapid technological change in policing and across the public sector – driven in large part by the pandemic – Mr Bell spoke about the challenges of COVID-19, the development of the PDS and the National Policing Digital Strategy, and the organisation’s aims and ambitions move forwards.

FEATURE: Targeting family violence and gender-driven crimes is a challenge for law enforcement around the world; ahead of next week’s Australia and New Zealand Society of Evidence-Based Policing Conference, Lauren Callaway, Assistant Commissioner of Family Violence Command for Victoria Police, outlines some of the key steps taken by the force – both in its approach to crimes in the community, and in tackling issues within the organisation – to make people safer.

ANALYSIS: A network of programmes seek to provide pathways out of criminal behaviour for at-risk youth in New York City; Greg Berman, former Director of New York’s Center for Court Innovation, looks at both the challenges and the potential of the Cure Violence approach, and underlines the importance of empirical research in establishing if, why and how the various programmes achieve their aims.

FEATURE: Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth reports on a terrorist drone attack in India that has raised concerns among security policymakers around the world, and highlighted the fact that unmanned aerial vehicles present a clear and present danger to the public – one for which police and security authorities remain poorly prepared.

INTERVIEW: Professor Paul Taylor, who became the UK’s first Police Chief Scientific Adviser in May, believes policing leaders recognise that science and technology will be crucial to the service going forwards; he spoke to Policing Insight Deputy Editor Sarah Gibbons about what his role will be, the importance of partnerships with education and industry, and how the National Crime Laboratory will drive evidence-based good practice in communities across the country.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: The University of Sunderland is expanding its provision to cater both to in-service police officers and those starting out and looking to begin a career in policing. As part of this expansion we are introducing our brand-new BSc Policing Studies (Top-up) course taught by academics with decades of experience in the police service. There’s also still time to enrol as we have places remaining on this course for September 2021 entry.

FEATURE: The rape and murder of Sarah Everard in the UK has been a wake-up call to the wider issue of violence against women and girls, a problem that has resonated with female communities globally; former Detective Chief Superintendent Gareth Bryon looks at both the legislative and law enforcement responses in the UK and the US, as well as moves to tackle the subjugation of women and reinforce women’s rights around the world.

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: From fake big-name brands to illegal livestock sources and sub-standard products that are a danger to public health, the illicit food and alcohol industry is big business that attracts organised crime; Policing Insight’s Chris Allen looks at the latest efforts from Europol and Interpol to tackle the problem, as well as the UK’s response.

OPINION: Last month Prime Minister Boris Johnson unveiled the UK Government’s new ‘Beating Crime Plan’ – not in parliament or at a press launch, but in a Sunday newspaper column; Policing Insight’s Ian Wiggett examines the lack of consultation, paucity of new ideas and absence of additional funding in the plan, and considers whether tone and public perception have become much more important than evidence-based actions and initiatives.

OPINION: Until now, UK police IT systems have received much less attention from the public and the media than new technologies such as facial recognition and predictive policing, but recent problems have brought increased attention; Dr Katerina Hadjimatheou, Lecturer in Criminology and Ethics at the University of Essex, believes it’s time the spotlight was shone on the three big private technology companies behind these reportedly failing systems.

OPINION: Police canteens have largely disappeared from the police estate, and with them the opportunity to socialise, offer emotional support, and share hopes and fears; Liverpool John Moores University Lecturer Nick Kealey, and Open University Lecturer Dr Sean Bell – both former Merseyside Police officers – argue that reinstating police canteen or night-kitchen facilities could be an important step in improving mental health support and reducing stigma.

Insight: An offender desistance programme centred on taking a public health approach to policing suggests that it can reduce the risk of offending by 30% over a significant follow-up period which could have far-reaching benefits for how policing resources are used. Working with offenders rather than simply processing them was a key driver for the project, as Detective Superintendent Kevin Weir and Durham PCC's Policy and Commissioning Officer Stephanie Kilili report.

FEATURE: The forest wildfires which have swept large parts of Turkey, killing at least eight people and decimating wildlife, made the news headlines around the world: but there are fears that a return to pyro-terrorism rather than climate change could be the main factor behind these latest blazes, as PhD student Eray Arda Akartuna of UCL’s Dawes Centre for Future Crime reports.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: BAPCO has announced the conference programme for its 2021 annual Conference & Exhibition, supported by media partner Policing Insight and taking place 12-13 October in Coventry, UK

POLICING FRIENDSHIP TOUR: Policing Insight Publisher Bernard Rix’s Policing Friendship Tour recently caught up with Andy Marsh, Chief Constable of Avon and Somerset, for a stroll around Bristol ahead of his retirement from the service in July; following a busy year for the Constabulary, which included the BLM protests and the Kill the Bill riots, Mr Marsh talked to Bernard about the challenges over the past 12 months, the changes during his 34 years in policing, and the work of the COPS charity.

INNOVATION: The recently launched UK Innovation Strategy draws on the many lessons learned from the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including seven key takeaways for law enforcement; Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth takes a closer look at how the strategy could shape policing innovation going forward, as well as the College of Policing’s efforts to encourage officers, staff and forces to be more innovative in the workplace.

FEATURE: After a turbulent 12 months for policing in the United States, it’s no surprise that President Joe Biden is working on – or has already implemented – a range of measures that will impact on law enforcement; Brady Kirkpatrick, owner and Editor-in-Chief of website Gun Made, highlights the key reforms already introduced by the Biden administration, and those likely to materialise in the coming weeks and months.

FEATURE: As a former Chief Constable of Lancashire and National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for wellbeing, Andy Rhodes understands the stresses and demands of policing, as well as the danger that the poorly managed introduction of new technology, and lack of ongoing and training and support, can add to rather than reduce those pressures; here he teams up with Me Learning’s Shirley Berry to highlight four key lessons for putting people first when embarking on digital transformation.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: Registration has opened for Critical Communications World 2021, supported by media partner Policing Insight. The event is taking place at the IFEMA in Madrid, from November 3-5 this year.

ANALYSIS: The transition of forensic science provision in England and Wales from the public to private sector has led to fears over the ability of commercial markets to influence forensic analysis and interpretation; in the second of two articles, Dr Karen Richmond of the University of Copenhagen highlights further concerns around the separation of tasks and the use of Streamlined Forensic Reports, as well as a potential path to progress for the forensic sector through the growth of digital.

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: Hard-drinking police officers are a staple of TV and fiction - but what is the reality of alcohol use in the police and its relationship with poor mental health? Patsy Irizar of the University of Liverpool explains the findings of the first study to identify the level of heavy drinking and co-occurring mental health problems in the UK Police Service.