OPINION: While the potential evidential benefits of police body-worn cameras are increasingly clear, inconsistencies in their use and oversight threaten to limit their positive impact; Griffith University Lecturers Robyn Blewer and Ronald Behlau believe regulation leading to more effective, consistent use, coupled with independent oversight, is the way forward.

OPINION: Police ethics advisor Montell Neufville explores the issue of police legitimacy, what it means and its relationship to building trust and confidence in policing, whose role it is to build that trust and confidence, and the opportunities and recommendations for how this can be achieved.

FEATURE: During the pandemic, most public and private sector organisations found technology and digital channels were critical to survival; but the large-scale public sector investment in digital transformation is not being matched by funding for cyber security measures, leaving police, the NHS and many others more vulnerable to cyber attack and data breaches, as Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth reports.

FREE SUBSCRIBER ACCESS: Policing Insight welcomes officers and staff from Western Australia Police Force, who now have FREE access with the start of new organisation wide subscription. They join a community of officers and staff from many police forces from the UK and around the world with an interest in progressive policing. Read on to find out how to use your FREE subscriber access.

FEATURES: A new report on the UK police response to domestic abuse during the coronavirus pandemic has praised forces for their proactive and innovative approaches, but voiced fresh concerns over the delays in cases coming to court, and the long-term impact of the significant level of cases discontinued, as Policing Insight Deputy Editor Sarah Gibbons reports.

OPINION: Levels of violent crime across America saw an unprecedented increase in 2020, and remain worryingly high in 2021; in this latest essay from the Violence Reduction Project, police officer Ari Maas argues that the Broken Windows approach employed so successfully on the New York subway in the 1980s by Transit Police Chief Bill Bratton has been wrongly conflated with zero tolerance and stop-and-frisk, leaving a successful crime fighting tool overlooked and dismissed by academics and others.

ANALYSIS: Crime on farms can have a damaging effect on both the lives and wellbeing of farmers and their families, and on the survival of farming businesses; now new approaches adopted by New South Wales Police to target such crimes, encourage reporting and support the rural community are having a positive impact, as Senior Lecturers Kyle Mulrooney and Alistair Harkness of the University of New England explain.

FEATURE: Guidance on the forthcoming Serious Violence Duty highlights the opportunities for policing in partnership with other agencies to divert children away from the criminal justice system at an early age; Mark Cooper, Director of Greymalkin Consulting, looks at how out of court disposals work, how the new duty can improve their use, and why multi-agency collaboration is crucial to improving outcomes for all.

POLICING FRIENDSHIP TOUR: On a recent leg of his Policing Friendship Tour, Policing Insight Publisher Bernard Rix walked and talked with former West Mercia Chief Constable Paul West; from ‘flaws’ in the current model of police governance and a lack of diversity amongst police and crime commissioners, to abandoned force mergers and increased collaboration, the pair discussed some of the key policing issues as they strolled around the grounds of Hartlebury Castle.

OPINION: The recent inquest into the Fishmonger’s Hall terror attack highlighted missed opportunities into the investigation of terrorist Usman Khan, and prompted criticism of the police and security services for their failure to share information more effectively; Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth believes that, in the light of this inquest and other previous incidents, it’s now time to consider if the present UK counter-terrorism architecture is fit for purpose.

ANALYSIS: While COVID-19 created new challenges for policing globally, many of the key issues in play before the pandemic continue to pose major questions for law enforcement; Dr Victoria Herrington, Director Knowledge at the Australian Institute for Police Management, and ACC Jackie Sebire of Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire’s Joint Protective Services Command, believe a policing future which leans into complexity and embraces an expansive role is the way forward.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: Do you interview suspects, victims or witnesses as part of your role? Do you supervise those that do? Do you investigate crimes? Or are you just interested in investigative interviewing? Register to attend this free online conference, being held by the Police Science Dr and supported by Policing Insight, focusing on gathering evidence from victims, witnesses and suspects.

FEATURE: This month’s Cumberland Lodge Policing Conference explored the complex topic of law enforcement and reconciliation, including building trust with victims and survivors, improving openness and transparency, and the need to balance current policing demands with addressing historical injustices; PhD Researcher Peter Hersee highlights the key discussions, debates and messages from the Conference.

OPINION: Today is the international UN Public Service Day, when the efforts and achievements of frontline public service employees should be recognised and applauded; and after the struggles of an incredibly tough pandemic year, it’s important that the work of the police, NHS and others are equally celebrated, says Dr Sarah Jane Fox of Staffordshire University’s Institute of Policing.

FEATURE: Organised crime groups have a long history of infiltrating the legitimate transport industry to move illicit goods and ‘commodities’ around the globe; now a new report has highlighted how those criminal networks are increasingly targeting the tow-truck sector as cover for their illegal activities, as Policing Insight's Chris Allen explains.

FEATURE: New Home Office-funded training in neurodivergence for cybercrime officers is helping them to ensure best evidential interview outcomes in investigations for victims, witnesses and suspects – and could now be rolled out more widely across policing, as Policing Insight Deputy Editor Sarah Gibbons 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.

ADVERTISEMENT INTERVIEW: With UK police preparing to handle rapidly growing volumes of digital, multichannel contact from the public, the benefits – both for citizens and forces – of installing integrated contact management and CRM platforms are increasingly obvious; Steve Norris, Police Market Director at Salesforce UK (a specified supplier under the recent framework) highlights the advantages of the latest contact technology in enabling forces to cope with demand and enhance the service to citizens.

FEATURE: The collaboration between the Australian Federal Police and FBI in using the AN0M app to break up organised crime networks has been hailed as a spectacular success; but Australian Strategic Policy Institute Dr Teagan Westendorf believes it’s important that the use of new police powers in such operations is transparent and fully understood, to maintain the public’s confidence and trust in law enforcement.

POLICING FRIENDSHIP TOUR: On the latest leg of his Policing Friendship Tour, Policing Insight Publisher Bernard Rix caught up with Chris Lewis, Policy and Research Officer for Warwickshire OPCC, to talk about efforts to improve support for the victims of crime – and especially those injured or killed in road traffic collisions – as well as his work with the National Association of Retired Police Officers.

OPINION: Levels of violent crime across America saw an unprecedented increase in 2020, and remain worryingly high in 2021; in this latest essay from the Violence Reduction Project, former FBI agent Donovan J Leighton explores the problems associated with tackling gun violence, and the challenges and successes of Operation Ceasefire in balancing prevention and enforcement.

FEATURE: The recent conflict between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas has heightened tensions and led to an increase in religious hatred far beyond the Middle East; Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth reports on initiatives across Europe to strengthen community cohesion and prevent extremists from launching successful attacks on and around places of worship.

OPINION: Consumer fraud is a high-volume and seemingly ever-growing area of crime, yet only 15% of frauds are reported to police each year; David Geere, Chris Oxborough and Esther Paterson of professional services firm PwC believe that better use of technology and increased co-operation and collaboration with the private sector are the key to tackling this complex and often international crime.

OPINION: This week saw the publication of a new report into the Metropolitan Police Service’s investigation of the murder of Daniel Morgan, one of the UK’s longest-running police controversies, and with it a finding of ‘institutional corruption’ on the part of the force; former BBC Home Affairs Correspondent Danny Shaw says that despite low expectations, the report offers an important insight into the workings of the Met today.