North America

FEATURE: The killing of George Floyd and the ongoing debate about police reform pushed Minneapolis Police Department firmly into the spotlight, and prompted a recent vote on significant changes to policing in the city; Professor Michelle Phelps of the University of Minnesota explored the background to why voters rejected the proposed changes, and what that decision means in the wider context of police reform.

ANALYSIS: Ahead of tomorrow’s London Policing College workshop on UK Policing Legitimacy – the fourth in a series of workshops organised by the College, leading up to the 3rd International Police Education Conference in November – Dr Andy Bain, Associate Professor at Ohio’s University of Mount Union, explores some of the key challenges facing policing that, although highlighted by the pandemic, existed before the arrival of COVID-19 and need addressing.

OPINION: Despite more than 12 months of negotiations to agree a bipartisan route for police reform in the US, talks between the Republicans and Democrats formally broke down last month, with no end result in sight; but Professor Thaddeus Johnson and Dr Natasha Johnson of Georgia State University believe that while congressional reform may have been doomed to failure, the federal government could still have a vital role to play in supporting change at a local level.

FEATURE: Latest research on the wellbeing of frontline Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers found that more than three-quarters were experiencing high stress during the second round of the pandemic; but as Policing Insight Editor Keith Potter reports, it was policing culture, the political atmosphere and the lack of resources – rather than the job itself – which were the most stressful factors, even during COVID-19.

FEATURE: The latest report from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and Europol on the global cocaine trade highlights the significant surge in both supply and profits, along with a concerning increase in violence; Policing Insight’s Chris Allen looks at the latest trends highlighted by the research, and the implications for efforts to tackle the global drugs market going forwards.

FEATURE: In the wake of the 9/11 attacks on New York, the city invested hugely in technology to keep communities safe; but as Policing Insight contributor Gareth Bryon reports, the use of such surveillance and identification tools to target minor crimes and activists is prompting public concern, and could become a key debate in the city’s approaching mayoral election.

FEATURE: The 9/11 terrorist attacks on New York’s World Trade Centre caused a devastating loss of life as well as having a huge impact on businesses and the city’s federal purse; 20 years on, Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth looks at the long-term impact of 9/11 – both physical and financial – and the legacy of a ‘War on Terror’ which is far from won.

ANALYSIS: The frequency and scale of cyberattacks is increasing globally, often based around the exploitation of security vulnerabilities, and many governments now collaborate closely with cybersecurity experts to highlight those weaknesses; but Yuan Stevens and Stephanie Tran of the Leadership Lab at Ryerson University believe the Canadian Government is lagging behind others in working with experts, potentially leaving individuals and organisations at risk as a result

INTERVIEW: In the first in a series of interviews with leading figures involved in the research and investigation of organised criminals, Policing Insight’s Chris Allen spoke to Dr Anna Sergi, Associate Professor in Criminology at the University of Essex and an expert on the Mafia, on how her career has developed, her current research and plans for future projects, and the key challenges presented by organised crime moving forwards.

FEATURE: The return of the Taliban in Afghanistan, and their apparent attempts to use social media and other avenues to hunt down those who have collaborated with coalition forces, has highlighted once again the dangers and security concerns around the online presence of police officers; Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth examines some of the main risks, as well as steps police and others can take to protect themselves and others from harm.

OPINION: Operations by police and security teams to clear homeless encampments around the city of Toronto have been defended as an attempt to ensure the safety of occupants and the general public; however, Professor Joe Hermer of the University of Toronto argues that not only is this untrue, but it also represents a betrayal by police and the mayor, who had previously pledged to listen to and build a relationship with the city’s most marginalised and vulnerable people.

FEATURE: Over the last 40 years American crime rates have fallen significantly – yet so too have levels of trust and confidence in policing; speaking at this year’s Australia and New Zealand Society for Evidence-Based Policing Conference, Professor Tom Tyler, Founding Director of Yale Law School’s Justice Collaboratory, outlined the opportunity for a new approach to US policing, and how evidence could be used to support that shift, as Policing Insight Editor Keith Potter reports

OPINION: The killing of five people in Plymouth by Jake Davison (pictured), a man whose online activity included regular interaction with the incel sub-culture, has raised questions in the UK around the need for such groups to be targeted under counter-terror and extremist legislation; former Detective Chief Superintendent Gareth Bryon explores the growth in the incel movement and related attacks on women both in the UK and the US, and looks at what can be done to tackle the sub-culture.

ANALYSIS: Crime prevention programmes in many countries often adopt a blanket approach to communities, with little regard to race or culture; ahead of next week’s Australia and New Zealand Society of Evidence-Based Policing Conference, researchers Dr Kabir Dasgupta, Dr André Diegmann, Professor Tom Kirchmaier and Dr Alexander Plum discuss their latest study which highlights the role of ethnicity in the criminal behaviour of young fathers, and suggests that a ‘one-size-fits-all’ policy response to crime reduction is likely to fail.

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: 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.

ANALYSIS: Levels of violent crime across America saw an unprecedented increase in 2020, and remain worryingly high in 2021; in this last in a series of essays from the Violence Reduction Project, former Newark Police officer Prof Jon Shane of John Jay College of Criminal Justice outlines the thinking behind situational crime prevention, and how addressing the physical and social environment can help to reduce crime, aggression, and disorder.

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 NYPD Detective Sergeant Joseph Giacalone, now an Adjunct Professor at the City University of New York, explains why solving cold cases could build community bridges, take more offenders off the street, and play a crucial part in reducing levels of violence.

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, born and bred city resident Voice of Chicago highlights the devastating impact of the increase in the number of murders, violence and gun crime has had on the city’s Black community, and what can be done to address the problem.

OPINION: The increased use of police body-worn cameras has been welcomed in many quarters as a route to improving transparency and accountability; but Bryce Newell, Assistant Professor of Media Law and Policy at the University of Oregon, fears that public records laws such as those prevalent in the US can lead to people’s most sensitive and traumatic moments being made available for public viewing.

FEATURE: Last month the FBI and Australian Federal Police, working with the US Drug Enforcement Administration, Europol and police forces in 15 other countries, carried out a series of raids causing major disruption to criminal networks worldwide, thanks to information secured through a police-developed phone encryption app that had become a favourite with criminals; Policing Insight’s Andy Staniforth looks at the incredible success of Operation Trojan Shield.

ANALYSIS: 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, Professor Joel Caplan of Rutgers University School of Criminal Justice explains how using a data-informed approach to crime prevention which engages local communities can offer an effective alternative to focusing solely on law enforcement.

ANALYSIS: 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, Professors Richard Rosenfeld and David Klinger of the University of Missouri, St. Louis outline how tackling three key issues – subduing the pandemic, redoubling smart policing tactics and implementing police reform – could provide a three-pronged strategy for reducing violent crime.

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.