College of Policing

FEATURE: Policing Insight’s Ian Weinfass reports on what was discussed at a first-of-a-kind international symposium on boosting trust and confidence in policing, including new research on winning public support and the importance of listening to communities.

FEATURE: In the wake of a joint investigation into a super complaint over police-perpetrated domestic abuse (PPDA), the Independent Office for Police Conduct has now published its review of the way forces in England and Wales handle such cases, with calls for improved training for frontline officers on the potentially complex nature of PPDA, the need for better recording and vetting, and greater consideration of the impartiality of investigations, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

ANALYSIS: Every day, police officers endure experiences that most people can’t even imagine – violence, tragedy, and life-or-death emotionally fuelled decisions – but what happens when the weight of that trauma becomes too much to bear? PhD researcher Lucy Davies of the Open University’s Centre of Policing Research & Learning (CPRL) explores how unprocessed trauma can quietly erode judgement, fuel emotion dysregulation and, in some cases, lead to the very misconduct that undermines public trust.

INTERVIEW: Former New York Police Department Chief of Department Terry Monahan, who was a police officer in the city for 39 years, spoke to Policing Insight’s Ian Weinfass about how a new neighbourhood policing model and a genuine approach to listening to the community led to record low levels of crime and homicide, and how a famous picture of him taking a knee with Black Lives Matters protesters came about.

FEATURE: A recent evaluation of the roll out of the ‘Right Care, Right Person’ approach to responding to mental health crises has identified savings in police time allowing forces to free up resources for other priorities – but challenges around decision-making, communications, and the funding and capacity constraints for other agencies are also hampering the effective implementation of the scheme across England and Wales, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

INNOVATION: A Dorset Police trial which expanded the video response approach used with domestic abuse cases to a wider range of calls and crimes has seen significant increases in arrest rates, positive outcomes and satisfaction levels for victims, and potential savings of £1.5million; now the approach could be expanded across the whole county and shared with other forces, as Supt Stewart Gates explained to Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons.

FEATURE: The first report in a two-part review of the police response to extensive disorder across England and Wales last summer has praised officers for their “immense bravery”, but has highlighted concerns over the capacity and capability of forces to respond to such widespread violent disorder, the speed with which resources are mobilised, and the wellbeing support for frontline officers, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

FEATURE: Speaking at the recent Senior Women In Policing conference, Vanisha Mistry, Chair of the National Women of Colour in Policing group, has called on police leaders to address the barriers which prevent career progression for women of colour in the service, and to invest in the pipeline of future leaders, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

ANALYSIS: The use of wearable technology to monitor health and wellbeing continues to expand significantly; Dr Carol Cox, Head of the Liverpool Centre of Advanced Policing Studies at Liverpool John Moore’s University, is leading a research team from the Centre in its work on the police use of such technology, and explains the challenges and benefits identified to date, as well as early indications from the latest study due to be released in April.

INTERVIEW: College of Policing interim Deputy CEO Jo Noakes tells Policing Insight’s Ian Weinfass about possible major changes to the promotion process for sergeants and inspectors in England and Wales, and why the “emotive” and “personal” issue of workforce reform needs to be carefully handled.

OPINION: In this first of a two-part article on the police analyst profession, intelligence analyst specialists Dr Scott Keay, Keith Jackson and Steve French explore the journey of the analyst role over the last 25 years, look at the barriers and challenges that have impacted on that role, and also consider the positive value that good analysis can have.

FEATURE: As law enforcement around the world embarks on meeting the challenges of 2025, Editor Keith Potter looks back over the key issues Policing Insight covered in 2024 – from technological threats and opportunities, to workforce wellbeing, the role of leadership, and the increasing focus on reform – and how these may affect the next 12 months.

ANALYSIS: In the wake of the media outcry over Essex Police’s investigation of online comments by a Daily Telegraph journalist, Policing Insight’s Ian Wiggett looks at the history of non-crime hate incidents (NCHIs), their impact on policing, and the effects of the code of practice introduced in 2023.

FEATURE: A new Domestic Abuse Joint Justice Plan launched in the UK by the National Police Chiefs’ Council and the Crown Prosecution Service commits police and prosecutors to work together more effectively and at earlier stages of investigations in order to increase successful judicial outcomes as well as improving the service to victims, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

ANALYSIS: The latest survey of survivors of rape and sexual assault into their experiences of the response by police in England and Wales has found that overall, Operation Soteria is improving the service delivered, but still only 40% of victims would report another sexual offence because of a lack of trust – although a series of simple steps could dramatically improve that reporting rate, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

ANALYSIS: In the last in a series of five articles looking at the big debates in police use of facial recognition (FR), extracted from this year’s ‘Facing the future: The rise of facial recognition in policing’ report, Policing Insight’s James Sweetland explores the remarkable global variations in the legal and regulatory frameworks governing FR use, and whether a more effective approach can balance the obvious risks against the potential benefits to secure the best possible outcomes for public safety.

FEATURE: The latest Race Discrimination Report by the Independent Office for Police Conduct has highlighted continuing racial disparities in the use of police powers such as stop and search, and called on forces to address disproportionality in an effort to end the cycle of mistrust in minority ethnic communities, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

ANALYSIS: The importance of ‘political astuteness’ as a skill for leaders is increasingly recognised – particularly in roles with tricky issues and diverse stakeholders – but the subject has seemingly been little considered within policing; Open University Visiting Fellow Dr Jane Roberts and Emeritus Professor Jean Hartley explore the research around political astuteness in policing, and the challenges involved in the relationships between politicians and police leaders.

ANALYSIS: With police officers encountering digital evidence in the vast majority of inquiries, a digital evidence strategy (DES) can ensure they are prepared to effectively deal with it; Dr Graeme Horsman, Senior Lecturer in Digital Forensics at Cranfield University, explains how the GAMEPLANS acrostic can help officers produce a robust DES to effectively identify, collect, examine, and evaluate any digital devices/data, and define the circumstances when it is appropriate to conduct such tasks.

FEATURE: A report by the Centre for Women’s Justice following up on its super-complaint about police-perpetrated domestic violence in UK forces has highlighted “entrenched cultures” across the service that “harbour misogyny and cover up wrongdoing”, and has called for improved data collection, more effective vetting, better misconduct procedures, and better decision-making around safeguarding measures when officers face repeat allegations, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

FEATURE: With law enforcement playing a vital role in the planning, preparation and response to major disasters, the increasing number of catastrophic weather events – such as the recent devastating flooding in Spain – have highlighted the challenges authorities face in relation to vulnerable victims; Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth takes a closer look at the UN’s Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, which identifies those vulnerable groups most at risk, and the steps that need to be taken to address that risk.

FEATURE: Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has announced the most ambitious wave of policing reform for a decade – a new ‘National Centre of Policing’ to run support services for local forces, a new Home Office Police Performance Unit and co-designed police performance framework, and over £500 million of extra funding for forces across England and Wales, as Policing Insight’s James Sweetland reports.

OPINION: To coincide with the launch of a discussion paper on a stronger national centre for policing in England and Wales – jointly published by the Police Foundation and consultants Leapwise – Foundation Director Rick Muir and Leapwise Managing Director Tom Gash set out their arguments for a new national policing agency and a reformed approach to national decision-making.

FEATURE: Senior police leaders in England and Wales are drafting guidance on governance for the hundreds of staff networks for the first time, but their efforts to establish a consistent framework have already drawn criticism from some groups, and the potential of a legal challenge, as Ian Weinfass reports.