Coronavirus / COVID-19

OPINION: In 2020 the UK took a number of steps to strengthen its resilience and defence against cyber attack, at a time when millions more people began working remotely; but as Policing Insight's Andy Staniforth reports, despite the efforts of law enforcement and security agencies, the cyber threat landscape still looks pretty bleak.

FEATURE: The death of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter protests have focused attention on race and policing around the world, including in the UK; now a new report by the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners has highlighted existing and ongoing efforts to tackle racial disparity and disproportionality in policing, as Policing Insight's Tina Orr Munro reports.

OPINION: COVID-19 has undoubtedly placed significant pressures on UK policing, but the unique environment, coupled with advances in technology and continuing recruitment efforts, have also created potential benefits; Boyd Mulvey, founder and CEO of Chorus Intelligence Ltd, explores the threats and opportunities presented by the pandemic.

OPINION: The balance between professional judgement in policing and following an ethical framework is a delicate one. However, Dr Emma Williams argues that too much focus on consistent professional standards can not only stifle discretion, but can lead to moral distress when officers find that guidance challenges their own moral judgements.

OPINION: While much has rightly been made of the impact of the UK leaving the EU in relation to information sharing and legislative powers, far less has been discussed about how Brexit could affect innovation collaborations between UK and European policing partners; and as Policing Insight's Andy Staniforth suggests, maintaining such partnerships will need to be a policing priority.

INNOVATION: The National Enabling Programmes (NEP) have been working with UK police forces to provide new technology over the past four years, but the COVID-19 pandemic has provided fresh impetus to the transformation, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

FEATURE: When drones piloted by rogue operators targeted Gatwick Airport in 2018, the costs of the resulting disruption, delays, closures and investigations are estimated to have exceeded £50 million; the incident also acted as a wake-up call for the aviation and security industries, as Policing Insight's Andrew Staniforth reports.

OPINION: For those still having to deal with the pandemic and police the latest round of COVID-19 restrictions, festive good wishes seem strangely out of place; perhaps, as Policing Insight Editor Keith Potter suggests, the best we can hope for is a lockdown-induced, crime-free Christmas, and – when it finally arrives – a well-deserved break.

INTERVIEW: While many police organisations and leaders struggle to use social media effectively, Northamptonshire Chief Constable Nick Adderley regularly engages in Twitter exchanges with the wider public, while also vlogging to his own staff; Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons spoke to Mr Adderley about his online profile, his efforts to ensure openness, and why he believes good leaders need to ‘keep their hand in’.

FEATURE: The most recent @WeCops Twitter chat focused on domestic abuse and the impact of COVID-19, exploring issue around how the pandemic has changed the reporting and response, how partners and support agencies have coped, and what lessons police have learned; Thames Valley Police Superintendent and WeCops team member Katy Barrow-Grint pulls together the key points from the debate.

ANALYSIS: As a tumultuous 2020 draws to a close, Katherine Van Gurp, Chief Executive Officer of the Australia New Zealand Policing Advisory Agency, explores how some of the main changes and shifting trends of recent times have collided with the pressures of the present, and what this may mean for policing and wider society moving forwards.

INNOVATION: Radios are an essential lifeline for frontline police officers – which is why technological advances in the development of devices must adopt an evolutionary rather than revolutionary approach, one that takes account of users’ instinctive responses, digital expectations and the potential for integration, as Katja Millard of Motorola Solutions explains.

ANALYSIS: Many police and support agencies have spoken of the rise in domestic abuse cases due to the COVID-19 lockdown, but empirical evidence has been lacking; now new research by Dr Katrin Hohl of City, University of London and Dr Kelly Johnson of Durham University has revealed both the scale and complex nature of the pandemic’s impact on domestic abuse, and the need for police to prepare for a post-lockdown surge in reporting.

OPINION: Only 3% of the estimated 3.8 million UK fraud offences in 2019 resulted in a prosecution, and the pandemic has presented fraudsters with the perfect climate to carry out more crimes; Waheed Saleem, Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner in the West Midlands, believes an overhaul of fraud reporting and a new coordinated policing response are crucial to fighting the fraudsters.

FEATURE: Speaking at the recent London Policing College’s Police in the time of Pandemic conference, National Police Chiefs’ Council Chair Martin Hewitt outlined the sometimes ‘tense and difficult’ relationship between police and the UK Government during the COVID-19 crisis, and praised the efforts of officers and staff; Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

FEATURE: London Policing College’s recent Policing in the Time of Pandemic conference included a focus on COVID-19’s impact on domestic abuse and harmful practices; Polly Harrar, founder of The Sharan Project and Joint Chair of the London Harmful Practices Working Group, highlights the key messages from the workshops held ahead of the conference, and the lessons for policing moving forwards.

INTERVIEW: A 24/7 digital contact management system being pioneered by Surrey Police could improve relations with reluctant to engage communities and strengthen neighbourhood policing; Chief Constable Gavin Stephens tells Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons how the digital approach could help to rebuild public trust.

FEATURE: It’s been a tough year for policing – and for communities generally – around the world, but as Christmas approaches, the police family are digging deep to help each other as well as those less fortunate; Australian-based nurse and mental health champion Melissa Gole highlights some of the many fundraising efforts that those within policing can support this festive season.

INTERVIEW: Keeping concealed and prohibited items out of operational police premises is a major security challenge, amplified by COVID-19 social distancing requirements. Professor Garik Markarian, CEO of Rinicom Ltd, explains to Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth the aims of Project Artifact, which advances non-invasive security screening to detect the hostile intentions of visitors, contractors and suppliers, as well as insider threats.

FEATURE: Police Rewired, the volunteer civic-tech community behind the annual policing hackathon Hack the Police, ran a new event this year – Hack Hate; organisation co-founder Lewis Westbury explains a bit more about Police Rewired, and how the hackathon against hate worked.

FEATURE: The pandemic lockdown may have led to a drop in many categories of crime, but it also introduced the right conditions for a significant increase in the risk of online radicalisation at a time when, as Met Police DAC Lucy D’Orsi explained, UK counter-terror investigations are already at their highest level; Policing Insight’s Contributing Editor Tina Orr Munro reports.

OPINION: The COVID-19 pandemic has put even more women at risk of domestic abuse, but addressing the crime only as a ‘women’s issue’ risks blaming the victim and ignoring the actions of the offender; Avon and Somerset Police and Crime Commissioner Sue Mountstevens believes that to stop the cycle of reoffending it's essential to start working with perpetrators.

INTERVIEW: With a force area covering 2.5 million square kilometres – the world's largest non-federated jurisdiction – Western Australia Police face unique challenges, and enforcing COVID-19 restrictions was certainly one of them; Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons spoke to WA Deputy Commissioner Gary Dreibergs about the pioneering, police-led app that made all the difference.

OPINION: There is increasing pressure on public and private sector organisations to ensure data security, in an era of expanding and evolving cyber crime; Susan Brown, Founder and CEO of specialists Zortrex, believes the concept of tokenisation – already used widely in financial services – could bring benefits for policing.