United Kingdom

IN THE NEWS: Our new-look Weekly Review, drawing on our popular Media Monitor database, picks up the key news stories and reports of the week, and explains why they matter to you.

OPINION: The first hundred days of a new PCC are overwhelmingly busy and full of meetings and helpful advice. But few of these will directly address the most important aspects of making a success of the job. Karen Drury looks at the relationships, and the necessary managing of conflict, needed to keep the show on the road.

OPINION: David Jamieson, PCC for the West Midlands, argues that the proposed model for the new mayor of the West Midlands Combined Authority is weak and not fit for purpose, and calls for the CA to pause, reflect, and review the role.

OPINION: The latest NFU report on rural crime showed marked variations in some crime types and between local force areas. But which interventions are working? Nick Alston, former Essex PCC and now Chair of the newly launched Policing Institute for the Eastern Region, calls for more research into what works to reduce rural - and other - crime.

OPINION: The Curtis Review on the use of targets in policing was published in December 2015, but little actual change appears to have taken place. Simon Guilfoyle revisits the debate and calls once more for the fundamental transformation of performance management in the police service.

OPINION: Armed police officers have made headlines again, this time for shopping in Morrisons. Police blogger and serving officer 'Nathan Constable' outlines the the security threat and the professionalism of armed officers, and argues for a grown-up debate about armed response.

EXCLUSIVE: New PCC for Cheshire, David Keane, blogs about his 100-day listening exercise, and why the police need to be based in the heart of the community - not in police stations.

OPINION: Police Now, the Graduate Leadership Development Programme for the police, has been controversial in some quarters. Emma Williams of Canterbury Christ Church University lays out her thoughts after spending a day with the scheme, and argues that talented serving officers also need access to high quality training.

IN THE NEWS: Our new-look Weekly Review, drawing on our popular Media Monitor database, picks up the key news stories and reports of the week, and explains why they matter to you.

NEWS BRIEF: Bernard Rix, Chief Executive of CoPaCC, announces a lunchtime workshop on 14th September in London. This event, hosted by leading lawyers Field Fisher, will explore the likely local impact of Brexit on policing and security stakeholders. Save the date!

ANALYSIS: Controversial predictive tools for offender management are increasingly being used in the US to determine sentencing. Marion Oswald (Winchester University) and Jamie Grace (Sheffield Hallam University) examine the use of algorithmic risk assessment tools, and call for an open debate in the UK about where the red lines should be.

OPINION: How should 'blue light' services communicate with the people they serve? Dan Slee examines the work that comms teams in the Fire and Rescue Services have been doing to get their life-saving messages across, and what lessons there are for other public services.

OPINION: Ian Blackhurst, Executive Director for Solutions, Northgate Public Services argues that criminals don’t respect force borders or system silos, and neither should digital evidence.

EXCLUSIVE: Lord Willy Bach, the first serving parliamentarian to be elected as a Police and Crime Commissioner, talks about the learning curve for PCCs, appointing a deputy, and why 'blue light' mergers could leave the Fire Service as the poor relation.

OPINION: Iain Britton, Head of the Centre for Citizens in Policing at the Institute for Public Safety Crime and Justice, reflects on the national Citizens in Policing Summit at the Palace Hotel, Manchester on Thursday 21 July.

IN THE NEWS: Our new-look Weekly Review, drawing on our popular Media Monitor database, picks up the key news stories and reports of the week, and explains why they matter to you.

OPINION: Arfon Jones, newly elected PCC for North Wales and one of the first two Plaid Cymru PCCs, talks about his background as a police officer, the Home Office's obsession with crime statistics, and his focus on domestic violence and youth justice.

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OPINION: Photos of a gay Metropolitan Police officer proposing to his partner at London Pride last month were shared nationally and internationally, and highlighted the changes that have taken place in police culture and attitudes over the last several decades. Steve Bax of the Police Federation of England and Wales explores how these changes have affected officers on the ground, and what still needs to be done.

NEWS: Prime Minister Theresa May has completed her first Cabinet reshuffle. Here is the full list of appointments in the departments covering policing and justice policy.

ANALYSIS: Rick Muir, Director of the Police Foundation, identifies a wide set of challenges faced by police, and argues that tackling those deep rooted problems associated with these challenges cannot be undertaken by the police alone.

OPINION: Dealing with the most vulnerable is a priority for the police. On 22 July, @WeCops held an online debate on early intervention, with CI Justin Srivastava (@CiSrivastava) as the guest host. Eric Halford (@DSEricHalford) summarises the debate and why early intervention matters - and how it can be done better.

ANALYSIS: With the newly elected PCCs coming to the end of their first 80 days in the job, what lessons might there be from the first set of incumbents? Dr Matthew Davies of RAND Europe outlines the findings of his report, Driving accountability from within: Key lessons for newly elected Police and Crime Commissioners.

OPINION: Ch Supt Gavin Thomas, President of the Police Superintendents' Association of England and Wales, explains why he is "pleased to see today's crime figures show a massive amount of online and cyber fraud offences".