INTERVIEW: In the latest in a series of interviews with leading figures involved in the research and investigation of organised crime, Policing Insight’s Dr Chris Allen spoke to Dr Tetiana Melnychuk, Associate Professor at Ukraine’s National University Odesa Law Academy and visiting researcher at the Center for European and International Criminal Law Studies at the University of Osnabrück, about the ‘blurred edges’ of organised crime, preventing criminals infiltrating government and legal agencies, and the need to prepare for the restoration of law and order after the war in Ukraine.

OPINION: Tackling county lines and organised crime has become a key area for academic research in recent years, but not all research studies have been a positive experience for local residents or police; GLEPHA Associate and postgraduate researcher Janine Ewen has seen several such studies in her home city of Aberdeen, and shares her experiences as well as steps that researchers can take to improve outcomes and build better relationships with communities.

INTERVIEW: In the latest in a series of interviews with leading figures involved in the research and investigation of organised crime, Policing Insight’s Dr Chris Allen spoke to drug expert witness and consultant Matt Lockyer about the valuable lessons from working with former drug users, the significant impact of Operation Venetic, and the importance of independent assessment of evidence in drug-related court cases.

INTERVIEW: As campaign group Stamp Out Spiking continues with calls for new legislation to tackle the offence as well as more support for support for victims, Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons spoke to CEO Dawn Dines about their work with police and other organisations to improve training and awareness around the crime.

ANALYSIS: While the term ‘shoplifting’ suggest images of someone pocketing a chocolate bar, current retail thefts by organised crime groups in the UK are often more akin to systematic looting, yet the vast majority of offences still go un reported; City, University of London Criminology Professor Dr Emmeline Taylor argues that although an under-funded police service and criminal justice system has exacerbated the problem, retailers themselves could take more steps to safeguard stock and staff.

ANALYSIS: Last month the cross-party UK Home Affairs Committee published its latest report on drugs, which included calls for a reform of legislation, greater cross-departmental collaboration in combating drugs, and more emphasis on protecting children and adopting a trauma-informed approach to the problem; Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons explores some of the key recommendation from the Committee.

OPINION: As the opioid crisis continues to grow in countries around the world, more police forces in the UK, Canada, Australia and elsewhere are looking to equip officers with overdose reversal medication naloxone to save lives; Vernon White, former Chief of Police for Ottawa Police Service, and Joe Carlebach, former Hammersmith and Fulham councillor, argue that with enforcement showing little signs of ending the opioid crisis in the near future, naloxone should become standard issue for officers.

INTERVIEW: In an exclusive interview in Stockholm, Swedish National Police Commissioner Anders Thornberg spoke to Policing Insight’s James Sweetland about the country’s approach to law enforcement, the importance of international collaboration, rising gang crime, new tech, and the need to balance economic goals with public safety.

INTERVIEW: In the third part of our extended interview with Professor Lawrence Sherman, Policing Insight’s James Sweetland spoke with the Met’s Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) about the controversial topic of stop and search and the force’s new ‘precision’ approach to tackling violent crime on the streets of London.

INTERVIEW: In the latest in a series of interviews with leading figures involved in the research and investigation of organised crime, Policing Insight’s Dr Chris Allen spoke to Matt Horne, Former Deputy Director of the National Crime Agency (NCA) and now Head of Policing and Government at Clue Software, about why organised crime is like a virus, the importance of legislation to tackle economic crime, and why focusing greater effort on the enablers of organised crime is a key strategy.

OPINION: Earlier this year British Columbia began Canada’s first drug ‘decriminalisation’ policy, removing criminal sanctions for adults in possession of small amounts of certain illegal drugs; but research scientist Dr Kanna Hayashi, an Associate Professor at Simon Fraser University, warns that while police continue to seize drugs even when users aren’t charged with offences, toxic drug deaths will remain a major problem.

INTERVIEW: In the latest in a series of interviews with leading figures involved in the research and investigation of organised crime, Policing Insight’s Dr Chris Allen spoke to Valentin Pereda, Assistant Professor in the School of Criminology at the University of Montreal, about the need to tackle the flow of illegal firearms, the importance of conversations between academia and law enforcement, and the impact of organised crime in his home country of Mexico.

ANALYSIS: With “more mobile, connected” youth gangs responsible for “an escalation in the harm that they can cause to the community and themselves”, Victoria Police has launched a new holistic and integrated approach to detect those most at risk of gang activity, divert them from gang involvement, and disrupt the gang-related violent offending that has been taking place, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

INTERVIEW: In the latest in a series of interviews with leading figures involved in the research and investigation of organised crime, Policing Insight’s Dr Chris Allen spoke to University of Bath Professor Felia Allum, Chair of the European Consortium for Political Research (ECPR) Standing Group on Organised Crime, about talking to the mafia, the role of women in crime, and why the best way to tackle organised crime is by addressing poverty and lack of opportunity.

INTERVIEW: British journalist and author Ioan Grillo has reported on the cartels and organised crime gangs of Mexico and Central America for more than 20 years; he spoke to Policing Insight’s Martin Gallagher about reporting on extreme violence (there were 43,000 murders in Mexico last year), the parallels between Central America and the UK, and what motivates him in his work.

INTERVIEW: In the latest in a series of interviews with leading figures involved in the research and investigation of organised crime, Policing Insight’s Dr Chris Allen spoke to fraud and financial crime consultant Gerald Doyle about researching the true scale of waste crime, the changing focus of organised crime from drugs to finance, and why asset recovery may be the best way to target organised crime’s ever-evolving business model.

INTERVIEW: In 2021, the UK Government announced Project ADDER – a new pilot programme combining disruption of criminal gangs selling drugs with a renewed focus on recovery; two years on, Cleveland Police and Crime Commissioner Steve Turner believes it’s made a real difference to communities in his area, as he told Policing Insight’s James Sweetland.

INTERVIEW: In the latest in a series of interviews with leading figures involved in the research and investigation of organised crime, Policing Insight’s Chris Allen spoke to former Police Scotland Superintendent Martin Gallagher, now a policing consultant and Associate of the London Policing College, about Baroness Casey’s review, taking drug profits away from organised crime, and the importance of eradicating corruption.

OPINION: Heroin supplies in the US are now commonly adulterated with animal tranquillizer xylazine, a drug which when injected can lead to widespread lesions that cause tissue death – hence the name ‘zombie drug’: with the first reported case of xylazine in a UK drug-user’s death now recorded, King’s College London Pharmaceutical Lecturer Dr Caroline Copeland believes heroin users must be made aware of the additional risks – especially as opioid overdose reversal agent naloxone is not effective against the sedative effects of xylazine.

INTERVIEW: In the latest in a series of interviews with leading figures involved in the research and investigation of organised crime, Policing Insight’s Chris Allen spoke to former police officer Neil Woods, now Chairman of Law Enforcement Action Partnership (LEAP) UK, about legalising cannabis, how prescribing heroin can benefit society while landing a blow against organised crime, and the huge impact that the drugs market has on the climate crisis.

OPINION: Advances in technology are emerging at incredible speed, but policing is not always keeping pace with the new tech available – or the potential that it offers forces; Mark Preston, Policing Vertical Lead at ICT specialists Tisski, a Node4 company, believes that if forces can overcome budget constraints and their inherent resistance to change, there are significant benefits to be realised from digital transformation in policing.

ANALYSIS: Latest research from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime suggests the global market for cocaine has hit new record levels despite the interruption of parts of the trade during COVID-19, with a significant increase in production, the emergence of supply chain specialists, and traffickers exploiting new markets and international events such as the war in Ukraine, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

OPINION: The recent Casey Review of the UK’s Metropolitan Police Service focused mainly on the damning findings around behaviour and culture, with little mention of drugs; but former Police Scotland superintendent Martin Gallagher argues that the policing of drugs could be a key contributor to negative public perceptions and lower levels of trust in the force, and removing the drugs market from criminality could be the ‘huge and radical step’ required to help regain trust among London’s black community.

ANALYSIS: In the fourth of a month-long series of articles celebrating International Women’s Day, the Open University’s Dr Shona Morrison, and Daryl Baguley of the Diane Modahl Sporting Foundation, highlight a lesser-known form of violence against young women and girls – exploitation of vulnerable girls in the context of drug dealing and organised crime groups, known in the UK as ‘County Lines’ drug dealing.