United Kingdom

OPINION: Consumer fraud is a high-volume and seemingly ever-growing area of crime, yet only 15% of frauds are reported to police each year; David Geere, Chris Oxborough and Esther Paterson of professional services firm PwC believe that better use of technology and increased co-operation and collaboration with the private sector are the key to tackling this complex and often international crime.

OPINION: This week saw the publication of a new report into the Metropolitan Police Service’s investigation of the murder of Daniel Morgan, one of the UK’s longest-running police controversies, and with it a finding of ‘institutional corruption’ on the part of the force; former BBC Home Affairs Correspondent Danny Shaw says that despite low expectations, the report offers an important insight into the workings of the Met today.

INSIGHT: Prosecution levels in rape cases nationally have been described as ‘pretty woeful’, and Avon and Somerset had one of the worst charging rates in England and Wales; Project Bluestone has seen the force working with leading academics to assess the problems and address the failings, an initiative which one senior officer said has put ‘fire in the belly of our investigators’, as Policing Insight Deputy Editor Sarah Gibbons reports.

ANALYSIS: While mafia myths of traditional, family-based organised crime networks expanding internationally still loom large in the media, new research suggests the European reality is one of co-operation between different groups, rather than exporting the Italian crime structure abroad; Dr Anna Sergi of the University of Essex outlines the key findings of the Countering regional Italian Mafia expansion (CRIME) project.

Insight: As Operation Uplift continues to attract new recruits, many candidates appear confused about the process and have ill-conceived ideas of what attributes are required to be a successful police officer; former Deputy Chief Constable Alan Baldwin explains how the service and outside agencies can help promote and hone key skills to ensure appropriate representation from diverse communities.

Queen's Birthday Honours: We are pleased to publish and recognise the UK policing and criminal justice recipients of the Queen's Birthday Honours. The team at Policing Insight offer our congratulations and thank all the recipients for their incredible service protecting the public, supporting victims, minimising reoffending and reducing crime.

Policing Friendship Tour: Policing overseas, recruiting for a fairly unusual role, and the daily challenges of running a small but unique force were among the topics discussed by Port of Bristol Police Chief Officer Jeff Foreman and Policing Insight Publisher Bernard Rix, as Bernard embarked on the latest leg of his Policing Friendship Tour.

FEATURE: The UK Government recently published draft guidance on the new Serious Violence Duty, which introduces a legal requirement for police and public sector agencies to collaborate on measures to reduce violence: Mark Cooper, Director of Greymalkin Consulting, looks at what the new Duty will entail, important learning from the introduction of violence reduction units, and what steps agencies should be taking to prepare for the changes.

FEATURE: Giving victims a voice, the power of the press and politicians, and learning lessons to prevent future harm will be among the topics covered at this year’s Cumberland Lodge Police Conference; Hertfordshire PCC David Lloyd, a member of the conference steering committee, outlines some of the key issues around the themes of law enforcement and reconciliation that will be explored during the two-day online event.

OPINION: Modernisation and digital transformation are at the heart of creating a police service capable of protecting communities against future threats; policing adviser and former deputy chief constable Paul Kennedy, and James Cottam of IT recruitment specialists Futures, believe the key to delivering the fast, versatile and responsive transformation required is through a hybrid, collaborative approach to building teams with the necessary skills and expertise.

INNOVATION: With the national police recruitment uplift programme well underway, and many forces also looking to recruit additional officers on top of those identified by the Government, Hayley Wallis, Recruitment Marketing Lead at Lancashire Police, explains how the implementation of a flexible communications platform at the organisation has helped to drive recruitment.

INTERVIEW: As part of the process of compiling the recent CoPaCC Future Police Contact Management report produced in partnership with Salesforce, Policing Insight Editor Keith Potter spoke to PSNI ACC Alan Todd, the NPCC Lead for Contact Management, about the key issues facing policing in relation to public contact – from the increasingly complex nature of demand, to the growth of digital and expanding channel options, the continuing impact of the pandemic, and the long-term challenges and technological opportunities.

INTERVIEW: This week sees the Police Federation of England and Wales hold its annual conference online; ahead of the event, Vice-Chair Ché Donald spoke to Policing Insight’s Bernard Rix on the impact of the pandemic on policing – from the added strain on officer wellbeing and mental health, to trial by media and increasing diversity.

FEATURE: Continuing a new series of The Police Student, Policing Insight Academic Editor Dr Carina O’Reilly explores the social and historical context of the British police. She shows how tensions that have been present from the foundation of the police are still relevant to policing in the 21st century – and draws lessons from policing history that can be applied to the present day.

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, Dr Laura Huey, Professor of Sociology at the University of Western Ontario, argues that programs for ‘supportive reporting’ have the potential to reduce often unrecorded violence through increased reporting, not something easily dismissed.

OPINION: Already referred to as ‘the most surveilled nation on Earth’, the UK looks set to invest in more CCTV through a funding boost to the Safer Streets initiative; but Professor William Webster of Stirling University believes that expanding the existing disparate and fragmented CCTV ecosystem neglects the wider societal change required for women to feel safer in public places.

OPINION: Later this month the Cumberland Lodge Police Conference will focus on law enforcement and reconciliation, and how to address the complex issues around past harms; Met Police Assistant Commissioner Robert Beckley, currently leading the Operation Resolve investigation into the Hillsborough Disaster, highlights some of the challenges in balancing calls for sanctions, retribution and formal accountability, with the importance of learning, understanding and healing.

ANALYSIS: The N8 Policing Research Partnership is currently holding the Policing Innovation Forum, focusing on ‘Effective Partnerships in Policing’; At the first session in May, Dr Layla Skinns of the University of Sheffield presented on research on vulnerability in police custody, including the growing role of health care professionals and liaison and diversion, and the concept of ‘universal vulnerability’.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: Police forces in England and Wales face a huge challenge to recruit an extra 20,000 officers by 2023, but there are helpful lessons to be learned from elsewhere. PwC has been working with the Swedish Police, who have a similarly ambitious recruitment target. In their second article, Muz Janoowalla, Director of Data and Analytics at PwC UK, and Fredrik Birkeland, Public Sector Consultant at PwC Sweden, look at the Swedish experience of how data analysis of the applicants’ experience can provide insights to improve the application process.

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INTERVIEW: Not all officers relish the prospect of a high-pressure ‘no-comment’ interview, where a suspect’s lack of response can lead to oppressive silences; but new research by Acting Detective Inspector Dan McCarthy of Sussex Police suggests additional training to master the uncomfortable interview room dynamics can lead to much more positive outcomes, as Policing Insight Deputy Editor Sarah Gibbons reports.

OPINION: The police and crime commissioner elections on 6 May saw a ‘blue wave’ of results, as Conservative successes dominated by more than three to one with 29 candidates elected, compared to only eight Labour, one Plaid-Cymru and no independents; Martyn Underhill, who stood down as independent PCC for Dorset at the last election, muses over the surprising election results and what they mean for policing.

Policing Friendship Tour: Diversity in policing, the role of the College of Policing and the criminal inquiry into the Hillsborough disaster were among the topics discussed by Assistant Commissioner Rob Beckley and Policing Insight Publisher Bernard Rix, as Bernard embarked on the second leg of his Policing Friendship Tour in Somerset.

ANALYSIS: The debate over the benefits of double-crewed versus single-crewed police response units has continued for some time, but new research from West Midlands Police indicates that pairing up is more productive, safer and delivers more successful outcomes; Policing Insight’s Ian Wiggett looks at how this new data can help to deliver a better assessment of the numbers required on response policing, and offer the best chance of detection in the safest way.