United Kingdom

NEW REPORT: The latest CoPaCC thematic report, 'PCCs and Statutory Transparency,' is published today. CoPaCC has undertaken a review of PCCs and transparency in every year since 2012, when Police and Crime Commissioners were first elected. Bernard Rix, CoPaCC Chief Executive and Policing Insight's Publisher, introduces the latest review and outlines what additional related work is planned for next year.

Exclusive interview: Lord Wasserman has been a government adviser on policing and criminal justice since 2011 and was the driving force behind the introduction of Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs). He speaks exclusively to Policing Insight about how he sees the role of the PCCs and the importance of transparency and accountability.

OPINION: To coincide with the publication of the CoPaCC "PCCs and Transparency" Thematic Report, Julia Mulligan the APCC Lead for Transparency and Integrity expresses her support for the CoPaCC "Open and Transparent" Quality Mark to promote transparency and accountability

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 HMICS' Strategic Review of Undercover Policing in Scotland which examines the scale and extent of the use of undercover officers in Scotland.

OPINION: Millions of images of faces have now been accumulated and digitised by police, but questions remain over how to search them, and how long to keep them. Prof. Martin Evison of Northumbria University outlines the problems.

OPINION: Scottish police regulations - unlike those in England and Wales - allow investigations into complaints to be halted if an officer resigns. Moi Ali argues that this harms the officers, the complainants, and faith in the system, and explains why she's campaigning for a change.

INTERVIEW: Sheldon Thomas is the founder of Gangsline, a training and consultancy company specialising in tackling gang culture, serious youth violence and child sexual exploitation. A former gang leader, Sheldon has spent 28 years helping to combat gang crime. He tells Policing Insight how his formative years, coupled with his recent experience, means he can offer policing and other agencies a unique approach to tackling gang violence. 

OPINION: How important is the police uniform to officers' authority - and morale? Serving officer Martin Gallagher explores his own attitudes, and what the evidence shows, about the role of the constable's hat.

OPINION: Research carried out by Dods into officers' experience of ICT, on behalf of MarkLogic, has revealed some of the obstacles officers face on a daily basis. Imran Razzaq, Public Sector Lead for UK, Ireland and European Union at MarkLogic explores the white paper's findings.

ANALYSIS: The latest CoPaCC thematic report 'Police ICT: User perspectives' was published recently. The report provides a unique insight into the views of the frontline on the provision of ICT in their force, based on CoPaCC's national survey. Bernard Rix, CoPaCC Chief Executive, takes a look at user responses to Question 8 (of eleven).

OPINION: Brian Cook, a former senior officer with the Scottish Police Service, looks back at the history of policing in Scotland as well as its recent problems and argues that a more democratic governance model is needed to secure Police Scotland's future. 

INSIGHT: The National FGM Centre was set up in 2015. The centre's head Leethen Bartholomew tells Policing Insight what progress has been made and where the police fit into the centre's vision of ending FGM in the UK by 2030.

OPINION: Neighbourhood Policing Teams are being depleted, but for Martin Surl, Gloucestershire's Police and Crime Commissioner, it is a vital policing function which is why Gloucestershire is taking a different approach.

ANALYSIS: The Police Federation's 2016 survey of officer welfare showed shocking levels of demand, overwhelming workload, and stress-related illness. The latest blog from Mary Elliot-Davies of the Federation shows how stress and demand are linked to poor wellbeing, and what the Fed is doing in its campaign for change.

ANALYSIS: CoPaCC's Police ICT User Survey had its first public airing this month when CEO Bernard Rix presented its findings to a conference of police ICT suppliers. But what can the service and suppliers learn from the results of the survey?   

INSIGHT: In an article from the CoPaCC "Bodyworn Video in Policing" thematic report published in September 2017, Gary Mason looks at how police firearms units require a more nuanced approach to body-worn video than their unarmed colleagues. From camera positioning to reviewing sensitive footage, questions about their ideal and fair use persist.

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 HMICFRS Peel Leadership 2017 which gives a national overview of leadership in the police service.

ANALYSIS: The latest CoPaCC thematic report 'Police ICT: User perspectives' was published recently. The report provides a unique insight into the views of the frontline on the provision of ICT in their force, based on CoPaCC's national survey. Bernard Rix, CoPaCC Chief Executive, takes a look at user responses to Question 7 (of eleven).

OPINION: This is the second part of a blog by serving officer Sarah Jane Lennie. In Part One she told us about herself and how she came to be on a career break studying for a PhD. In this second instalment, she goes on to talk more in depth about her research and what she hopes to identify.

Interview: North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Arfon Jones launched his Social Value Policy in November 2017. The aim of the policy is to procure consumables in a way that significantly boosts the local economy and strengthens local communities. Stuart Davies, director of Sustainable Supply Chains Ltd who devised the policy, explains to Tina Orr-Munro how it works.

NEWS: The finalists for the International Digital investigation and Intelligence Awards 2018 - supported by Policing Insight - have been announced. Chief Constable Stephen Kavanagh, NPCC National Lead for Digital Policing, told Policing Insight: "My sincere congratulations to those of you who have been identified and selected as finalists in each category. You are utter professionals and an inspiration to those who monitor your achievements”.

Opinion: The last few months have seen a number of successful legal challenges relating to disclosure, but if the legislation has been in place for over twenty years, retired Metropolitan Police Service Detective Superintendent Paul Downing, former head of the MPS Crime Academy Intelligence Faculty, asks what's changed?

ANALYSIS: The resignation of Police Scotland's Chief Constable Phil Gormley is the latest twist in a story of perpetual crisis since the force's establishment. Nick McKerrell of Glasgow Caledonian University traces the roots of the saga and warns that further problems are likely.

Opinion: Digital evidence permeates every investigation, but the collapse of several high profile trials recently demonstrates what happens when it is mishandled. Our contributor, a digital investigation expert, who has worked for many years in industry and law enforcement including close involvement in the development of standards across the sector, says the problem goes to the heart of how evidence is gathered and forces must take action now. The author has asked to remain anonymous.