ANALYSIS: The Police Federation's 2018 survey of officer welfare again shows shocking levels of officer stress and exposure to trauma. Mary Elliot-Davies of the Federation explains the findings of the survey, and what's urgently needed to protect officers and allow them to rebuild their resilience.
Analysis: Traditional responses to trafficking focus on disrupting criminal networks and protecting the victims, but a European project is taking a different approach including ways to reduce demand for the services of those who are trafficked. Policing Insight contributor Andrew Staniforth explores the drivers of this $12bn a year crime.
4th January 2019
OPINION: As Israel joins the Netherlands and Canada in legalising medicinal cannabis, serving officer Martin Gallagher warns that there are significant and largely unexplored potential consequences of legalisation - not least, the future for organised crime groups currently operating in the cannabis trade.
Analysis: Devon and Cornwall Police Inspector John Shuttleworth shares the lessons learnt from Operation Fardel, the force's response to a national telephone scam, and recommends ways to help close the gap in the police service's response to this fraud.
ANALYSIS: The road to police fire governance is a bumpy one as the last few weeks has demonstrated. With one PCC restarting, two stopping and two others mired in controversy, what may have seemed like a good idea to some is not winning any new fans. In her latest update of the Policing Insight series looking at PCCs and fire governance, Catherine Levin reports on the ups and downs of the last few weeks.
OPINION: The latest crime figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) offer a grim outlook on the state of criminal justice in England and Wales. Almost as if to head off criticism, the bulletin starts: “Over recent decades, we’ve seen continued falls in overall levels of crime but in the last year the trend has […]
EXCLUSIVE: Earlier this week, the Home Affairs Select Committee published their long-awaited report "Policing for the Future". In this exclusive article for Policing Insight, the Police Foundation's Director, Dr Rick Muir, sets out how and why the Select Committee's report will have a lasting impact.
OPINION: The Government has recently announced a proposal to increase pension costs for employers throughout the public sector. In an exclusive article for Policing Insight, West Midlands PCC David Jamieson looks at how this could affect policing in his force and more widely.
Opinion: Brexit may appear to have dominated this year's annual party conferences, but Crest Advisory's Harry Redgrave says the conferences were also an opportunity to gauge the latest political thinking on the future of policing.
Opinion: With Brexit issues dominating proceedings at this year's party conferences, there was room for little else. However, the Liberal Democrats took the opportunity to renew their call for the abolition of Police and Crime Commissioners. Ed Davey, MP for Kingston & Surbiton and Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Home Affairs explains why.
INSIGHT: The police service is used to reviews in one form or another so Policing Insight asked T/ACC Steve Graham, the Strategic Lead for Engagement for the Home Office's current review of frontline policing, what is so different about this one.
ANALYSIS: There are growing financial and operational pressures on policing. Senior figures are calling for a new vision, but as the president of the PSA said earlier this month, there is a void at the centre - and no prospect of a Royal Commission to provide answers. The service can, however, start preparing options now. The themes that come up time and again are structure, accountability frameworks, and workforce. What is the service’s own future vision for these?
ANALYSIS: Yesterday's National Audit Office report on policing was damning on the Home Office's failure to understand the impact of budget cuts on the financial sustainability of police forces. Rick Muir of The Police Foundation examines the report's findings and the need for a clear national strategy on policing.
OPINION: The latest National Audit Office report released this week adds to the evidence that policing is in crisis. Former Chief Superintendent John Sutherland warns that the lack of a national vision for policing is punishing the very people holding policing together.
Opinion: The government has accepted The Police Remuneration Review Body’s recommendation that forces should appoint apprentice constables on a starting salary of between £18,000 and pay point 1 (£23,586), but Police Federation Professional Development lead Dave Bamber warns it could drive the new entrants into debt.
ANALYSIS: One year on from the launch of the Policing Insight series looking at PCCs and fire governance, Catherine Levin finds that the road to fire governance is fraught with obstacles and these will likely discourage other PCCs from following any time soon.
OPINION: Given the pressures police forces are under, Greater Manchester Police responded to the bombing of the Manchester Arena last May remarkably well. A year on, 100 officers and staff are still employed on the case. Former GMP ACC Ian Wiggett takes a closer look at the force and the fire service's response and the potential lessons learnt.
15th June 2018
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NEWS: The Police and Crime Commissioner of Dorset Police has officially announced at the CoPaCC Police Governance Summit, that Dorset Police and Devon and Cornwall Police are set to merge into a single force by May 2020 when the next Police and Crime Commissioner elections are due to take place.
OPINION: Policing is a service that should be held to the highest standards, but constant attacks from the media and politicians reflect a shallow understanding of the job. Ashley Kilgallon, a doctoral researcher at the University of Leeds, warns that such simplistic critiques are legitimising the destruction of a public service.
OPINION: As London suffers an epidemic of knife crime, and more officers break under the strain, the government narrative still appears to be unrelentingly negative. Former Chief Superintendent John Sutherland warns that it is time to confront this, and to talk realistically about what we want from police and policing.
