United Kingdom

Opinion: With Facial Recognition Technology (FRT) now increasingly used in law enforcement, Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham says there are many unanswered questions as to how it is deployed, raising concerns about the lack of transparency and governance around its use.

ANALYSIS: Report Watch summarises the main findings of reports that impact on policing and includes responses from the main stakeholders as well as media reaction. Here we take a look at Amnesty International's Trapped in the Matrix which examines the Metropolitan Police Services' Gangs Violence Matrix which it concludes is unfit for purpose.

ANALYSIS: What kind of structures might help deal with a crisis like the murder of Lee Rigby or the Grenfell Tower disaster? Martin Gallagher, a serving officer with Police Scotland describes Grey Space, a group he set up to monitor community tensions - and how he tested its capacity.

NEW SERIES: In the first of a series of articles for 2018, Detective Chief Superintendent Paul Keasey introduces Policing Insight readers to Project Galileo, a fundamental rethink of how we can make a difference to tackling harm on our roads.

OPINION: Homelessness has risen across the country. In the West Midlands, it has tripled over the last eight years. In a co-authored article, West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson and Policy Officer Ben Twomey believe it is essential the police service offers the hand of friendship to those in need.

NEW SERIES: Policing Insight has over a thousand in depth articles on a wide range of policing issues. SPOTLIGHT ON is a new series which groups articles under one subject allowing you quick and easy reference when you need it. Articles on the mental well-being of officers and staff are among some of our best-read features so we begin the series with a roundup of articles examining mental ill health among police employees and the service’s response.

OPINION: Not being able to trace the identity of a private landlord can have real consequences for police - and for local residents. Ron Hogg, PCC for Durham, explains why he is backing a Private Member's Bill to make mandatory the registration of private landlords.

NEWS: PLACES ARE FILLING FAST for the first annual "Police Governance" summit, which will take place on Wednesday 6th to Thursday 7th June 2018. In this latest update, we announce new flexible booking options and confirm session timings. Put the dates in your diary today - and book your place now...

INTERVIEW: Director of Staff Absence Solutions Ltd Mark Eastwood has worked in the rail industry for many years treating employees following traumatic rail-related incidents. Now working with police forces, Mr Eastwood tells Policing Insight how, with the right support, officers and staff can recover from psychological and physiological conditions caused by work.

ANALYSIS: Two years from today, PCCs will be learning whether they've been re-elected or not. The next PCC elections are due to take place on Thursday, 7th May 2020, with counts taking place the following day. Bernard Rix, CoPaCC Chief Executive, takes a look at which forces appear susceptible to a change at the top.

ANALYSIS: Recent high profile rape cases and other serious crime trials collapsing due to issues around the examination and disclosure of digital evidence have sent shock waves across the criminal justice system. Policy Advisor and Co-chair of the Independent Digital Ethics Panel for Policing Giles Herdale outlines the benefits of E-disclosure tools and the need for standards.

INTERVIEW: Exclusive: Greater collaboration and more licensing agreements are high on the new head of the Police ICT Company’s to-do list. CEO Ian Bell outlines the direction of travel for the company.

ANALYSIS: How can police forces ensure deaf people can access their frontline services? Robert Skinner of Heriot Watt University explains his research into how video-mediated interpreting (VMI) services can be used to aid access to Police Scotland.

OPINION: The murder of Stephen Lawrence 25 years ago changed Britain - and British policing - for good. Benjamin Bowling, Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice, King's College London, recalls the case, and reflects on the challenges still facing policing today.

NEWS: Grant Thornton, the leading police assurance provider, are the Primary Sponsors of the Police Governance Summit 2018, which takes place in Northampton on 6th and 7th June. Paul Grady, Grant Thornton's Head of Police, sets out the firm's reasons behind their support for the Summit.

Analysis: Vigilant Research's latest report launched this week examines the current police technology futures landscape and offers a set of objectives towards a centralised police technology futures capability. In the first of three articles, Director of Vigilant Research Stephen Roberts explores the current state of police technology futures operations.

OPINION: Locard’s Exchange Principle is based on the idea that every contact leaves a trace and is taught on almost every forensic science course around the globe. Veteran Army Commando and MD of Selfless Leadership Paul Kinkaid applies the principle to leadership and examines what 'traces' make a great leader.

ANALYSIS: HMICFRS recently published the annual PEEL performance reports. Despite displaying forces results in the same data tables, there appears to be resistance to facilitating direct comparison of force performance. In the spirit of provoking debate, CoPaCC has converted the PEEL results into a numerical index to identify the front runners and back markers in PEEL performance.

OPINION: International policing missions are complex and challenging, and it is difficult for practitioners to share lessons from the ground. A workshop in Lisbon last year brought together experts from the field. Dr Georgina Sinclair of Strategic Expertise International introduces the background to the workshop, and its outputs - a set of essays that Policing Insight is now serialising.

OPINION: Policing is stressful at the best of times, but right now it seems to be under pressure from all sides. Serving officer Sgt. Harry Tangye ponders what advice would he give to someone thinking of joining the police today.

ANALYSIS: The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse has published its Interim Report which has implications for policing including a recommendation for officers to have considerable experience in investigating child sexual abuse before moving into senior roles. Policing Insight reports.

NEWS: BOOKING IS NOW OPEN for the first annual "Police Governance" summit, which now has an EXCEPTIONAL list of speakers. The Summit will take place on Wednesday 6th to Thursday 7th June 2018. Put the dates in your diary today - and book your place now...

Opinion: CCTV technology has been in place for many years now so why the need for super recognisers? Former DCI and now CEO of Super Recognisers International Mike Neville explains how super recognisers add value to CCTV imagery, linking crimes and even identifying terror suspects.

Opinion: When others run away from danger, police officers are expected to run towards it. In her blog, Janine Jury, a Counselling and Wellbeing Manager working within the emergency services, examines how police officers respond to stress caused by their job.