OPINION: The ’ndrangheta – the Calabrian Mafia – has a long history of involvement in cocaine trafficking and other illegal activities in Australia, with networks that also stretch into Europe, North America and Latin America; University of Essex Professor of Criminology Dr Anna Sergi, an expert on the ’ndrangheta, looks at the organisation’s two different operating models, its efforts to integrate and diversify into legitimate business, and what law enforcement and legislators can do to tackle its influence and activities.

OPINION: The discovery of a caravan full of explosives in Sydney had raised serious fears about potential terrorism, but after a series of raids this week the Australian Federal Police described this and 14 antisemitic attacks as a “con job” carried out by organised crime groups; Griffith University Associate Professor Dr Keiran Hardy looks at why – despite generating terror in the community – these incidents have not resulted in terrorism charges, and how lesser charges can still result in justice.

INTERVIEW: As he approaches the first-year anniversary of taking up the top job with Saskatoon Police Service, Chief Cameron McBride spoke to Policing Insight’s Christine Townsend about his 28 years with the Service, the inward focus on wellness and support for officers, the importance of community engagement, and the social, technological and retention challenges facing modern policing.

OPINION: The US first declared its ‘war on terror’ in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, and the impact of the approach was felt by policing in America and elsewhere; Liverpool John Moores University Policing Lecturer James Williams looks at the changing nature of US counter-terrorism since 9/11, the growing focus on domestic terrorism, and the increasing threat posed by online extremism and ‘lone wolf’ attacks.

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FEATURE: A new Europol and Eurojust report on the challenges of tackling cybercrime has highlighted the huge volumes and difficult access to data, increasingly sophisticated anonymising measures deployed by criminals, and the legal and logistical difficulties of cross-border investigations as some of the key barriers for law enforcement, despite the “progressive strides” made by agencies and governments to address the issues, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

FEATURE: Speaking at an international workshop hosted by the University of Gothenburg and CRISP, Research Fellow Amir Cahane of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem warned that Israel Police engage in “a disturbing pattern of acquire first and ask questions later” when deploying domestic AI surveillance tools – with “a lack of legal constraints” meaning that court battles over individual cases play an outsized role, as Policing Insight’s James Sweetland reports.

REPORT LAUNCH: Policing Insight launches a new thematic report – Facing the future: the rise of facial recognition in policing. The report aims to be a one-stop shop for everything you need to know about facial recognition; with contributions from 34 expert stakeholders from around the world, we explain the technology and highlight the big debates around its use.

FEATURE: Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth looks at the work of AFRIPOL (the African Union Mechanism for Police Co-operation AFRIPOL) – which has a mandate to strengthen co-operation between the police agencies of the African Union (AU) – and its recent successes in collaborating with INTERPOL to tackle terrorism in East Africa.

FEATURE: Dr Usman A. Ojedokun, a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Sociology at the University of Ibadan in Nigeria, explores some of the context and contributing factors to the continuing problem of police impersonation in Nigeria, the impact it has on both the community and the Nigeria Police Force, and what steps can be taken to tackle the issue.

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OPINION: Taiwan’s police forces are known for their professionalism and expertise, particularly in areas such as terrorism, cybercrime and human trafficking; but China’s continuing successful efforts to block Taiwan’s membership of Interpol weakens the organisation and sends the wrong political signals – a situation which Dr John Coyne of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute believes needs to be addressed at Interpol’s next General Assembly in Glasgow in November.

ANALYSIS: The increase in drug-related extreme violence and the scale of drug seizures across Europe suggest Mexican and South American cartels already view the EU as the ideal location for expansion; former DEA Special Agent Michael Brown, Global Director of Counter-Narcotics Technology at Rigaku Analytical Devices, believes steps can be taken by European governments and law enforcement to thwart that expansion – but will require political will, increased co-operation, and better use of technology.

REPORT LAUNCH: Policing Insight launches a new thematic report – Facing the future: the rise of facial recognition in policing. The report aims to be a one-stop shop for everything you need to know about facial recognition; with contributions from 34 expert stakeholders from around the world, we explain the technology and highlight the big debates around its use.

INNOVATION: As forces increase contact channels to include digital and online routes, the likelihood of comms staff being exposed to harmful images has increased, says Rebecca Malpass, Digital Communications Development Senior for Derbyshire Constabulary; now a new AI-based image filter together with additional guidance for staff can help to protect individuals from being exposed to indecent images, as she explained to Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons.

ANALYSIS: With just over a year to go until the end of National Police Chiefs’ Council funding for the Police Race Action Plan, Ian Weinfass looks at what chief constables across England and Wales hope it can achieve, and speaks to the chair of its independent scrutiny board and the head of the National Black Police Association about what else needs to be done.