Operational policing

FEATURE: As we welcome in 2024, Policing Insight Editor Keith Potter looks back over what the past 12 months have meant for policing in the UK and internationally, how those issues have been covered by Policing Insight, and the continuing challenges and opportunities for the year ahead.

FEATURE: Perpetrator programmes can prove controversial, but the new Chrysalis Centre – a £2m scheme funded by the Home Office – is hoping that a prevention-first approach can protect domestic abuse victims and their families from harm, as Policing Insight’s James Sweetland reports.

OPINION: The New Zealand Coalition Government has made a crackdown on gangs a priority in its first 100 days, setting out its expectations in a letter to the Police Commissioner and promising new police powers; but Auckland University of Technology Law Professor Kris Gledhill argues that necessary laws to tackle the problem are already in place, and a focus on diverting people from gang membership would be more effective.

FEATURE: New research to be undertaken by Dr Kyle Mulrooney and Dr Alistair Harkness of the University of New England will explore how the combination of limited resources and deep-rooted community connections is leaving rural policing ill-equipped to deal with the growing ideological and political conflict between urban and rural communities, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

FEATURE: The latest report by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services into the police response to group-based child sexual exploitation in England and Wales has found that inconsistent definitions are fuelling a lack of understanding of the scale of the issue, with some officers still engaging in victim-blaming language, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

INTERVIEW: With cyber threats on the rise, Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth spoke to Professor Stuart Macdonald, Director of the Cyber Threats Research Centre (CYTREC), about the current threat landscape, the cyber challenges for 2024, and how new regulations are combatting online terrorist propaganda.

INNOVATION: In the final instalment in a series exploring Essex Police’s Hothouse technology innovation programme, Policing Insight examines how the force is adopting new approaches to tackle drug-driven violence, and what it tells us about how policing could work with the tech sector, as James Sweetland reports.

ANALYSIS: This year saw Cleveland Police emerge from the HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services ‘Engaged’ status with some impressive performance figures; Tom Gash, Managing Director of strategy and decision-making consultancy Leapwise Advisory – which worked with the force on its improvement journey – sets out some of the key steps forces need to take to achieve a successful turnaround.

FEATURE: A joint approach between New Zealand Police and multi-agency partners to fast track action plans for young offenders and provide wrap-around support has led to significant reductions in some crimes, stronger police-community relations, and improved youth engagement, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

OPINION: The proposed closure of 29 police stations in Scotland is symptomatic of a wider problem in UK policing’s role and relationship with the community, believes former Police Scotland Superintendent Martin Gallagher – one which will require innovative thinking coupled with a refocusing on policing’s core functions if it is to be successfully addressed.

FEATURE: A new study from academics at Stirling University and the University of Edinburgh imagines how biometric artificial intelligence (AI) could be deployed by policing in the future, setting out both the potential risks and the opportunities that tools such as facial recognition drones could bring, as Policing Insight’s James Sweetland reports.

OPINION: Stop-and-frisk is a controversial policy in US policing, but formed a key plank of Philadelphia Mayor-elect Cherelle Parker’s campaign manifesto in an effort to tackle gun violence; Arizona State University Professors Michael D White and Henry F Fradella believe stop-and-frisk can be used effectively and without contravening the constitution, if coupled with careful controls and a change in culture and accountability.

FEATURE: The growing application of artificial intelligence (AI) by law enforcement has been the topic of much discussion and debate, including the importance of oversight and the potential need for regulation; the recently agreed European Parliament political deal on an AI bill means progress can now be made towards introducing Europe-wide regulation on AI, with significant exemptions built in for its use in critical situations by police, as Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth reports.

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OPINION: With increasingly polarised politics, the growth of the post-truth era, and a general fall in confidence in major institutions, the UK’s model of policing by consent is being tested like never before; but Police Foundation Director Rick Muir believes that the fundamental principles of the model remain sound, and that the priority for overcoming the current challenges must be improved communication.

CHRISTMAS MESSAGE: There seems to have been little festive cheer in the build-up to Christmas this year, with international events and home-grown politicians leaving police a target for headlines and commentators, and little recognition of the everyday efforts to prevent crime and keep the public safe; against that sort of backdrop, it’s even more crucial that officers and staff get the opportunity to celebrate, relax and recharge over the Christmas period, says Policing Insight Editor Keith Potter.

FEATURE: The significant increase in public protests and marches, particularly since the start of the current conflict in the Middle East, has brought with it accusations of a ‘two-tier’ approach to policing supporters; but as Policing Insight’s Graham Wettone – whose 30-year policing career included many large public order events – explains, while those different tiers, tactics and approaches exist, they are based on threat, risk, information and intelligence, rather than race, religion or political persuasion.

FEATURE: A recruitment programme launched by the Queensland Police Service (QPS) focusing on attracting indigenous recruits to the QPS-run Protective Services Group has led to stronger relationships between the police and the community, and seen a 50% fall in youth crime, theft and offences against property, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

OPINION: Recent suggestions that policing could use facial recognition more widely – including to check against the UK passport database to identify shoplifters – prompted an outcry from some MPs, academics and campaigners; but Dr Asress Gikay, Senior Lecturer in AI, Disruptive Innovation and Law at London’s Brunel University, believes the benefit the tech delivers, public support, and existing safeguards mean campaigns to stop the police use of facial recognition are likely to fail.

INNOVATION: A recent one-day summit hosted jointly by Essex Police and BT explored the opportunities for policing to leverage the maximum potential benefits from new technology; in the second in series of articles on the event, Policing Insight’s James Sweetland reports on how the force is using innovative approaches to data and tech to protect children from serious harm.

OPINION: The Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October, and Israel’s subsequent ground invasion of Gaza, has led to significant rise in hate crime attacks on both Jews and pro-Palestinians in the US; but Professor Jeannine Bell of Chicago’s Loyola University believes complex legislation, inadequate police training and a lack of specialists officers and prosecutors means that hate crimes are rarely reported, well investigated, charged or brought to trial.

FEATURE: As the UK’s Covid-19 public inquiry continues to hear testimony from politicians, police chiefs and many others involved in the response to the pandemic, lessons around the importance of disaster planning and preparation are already emerging; Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth looks at the work of the EU-funded CORE project, which is studying the impact of and response to several major international disasters to highlight the key learning points.

LONG READ: The investigative opportunities and challenges offered to policing by the huge growth in digital data bring with them a much wider debate around the ethical use of such data, the importance of transparency and governance, and the need to ensure that policing maintains legitimacy with the communities it serves – issues which Policing Insight’s Keith Potter explores in the latest in a series features looking at the police use of data.

INTERVIEW: In September HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services confirmed that Cleveland Police was out of special measures for the first time in more than four years; Cleveland Chief Constable Mark Webster spoke to Policing Insight’s Keith Potter about the turnaround process, the importance of engaging both staff and public, and what he hopes will be the long-term legacy for the force.