Operational policing

FEATURE: The most recent member survey carried out by the New Zealand Police Association has highlighted a drop in morale, with officers voicing concerns over increased levels of crime and violence, the need for more mentoring and support, and a shortage of frontline resources despite the recruitment boost of 1,800 additional officers, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

FEATURE: The ongoing violence and conflict in Israel and Palestine have led to more examples of religious hatred and acts of terrorism across Europe, with religious sites increasingly viewed as possible targets; Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth looks at the latest initiative to ensure such places of worship are safe and secure, while also promoting interfaith dialogue.

INNOVATION: Police have used traditional line-ups – whether static in person, or using photos and videos – for decades, and concerns have been regularly voiced over misidentification leading to wrongful arrest and in some cases imprisonment; but University of Birmingham research led by Prof Heather Flowe and PhD student Tia Bennett is pioneering new 3D interactive line-ups that have increased identification accuracy, with the team now looking to work closely with forces to further develop the technology.

FEATURE: Ahead of next month’s UK Society of Evidence-Based Policing (UK SEBP) Conference, Detective Chief Superintendent Neil Ralph – who heads up the South West Police Collaboration and is South West Regional Lead for the UK SEBP – looks at the evolution of evidence-based policing, the value it brings both to law enforcement and communities, and the aims of the SEBP that will underpin this year’s event.

ANALYSIS: A new report funded by the Scottish Institute for Policing Research has highlighted Police Scotland's ethical and effective use of ‘influence policing’, which uses ‘nudge campaigns’ as part of a strategic communications approach to changing offenders’ behaviour; but researchers have also voiced concerns over the harmful and unethical use of similar approaches by other UK bodies, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

OPINION: With mass shootings an increasing concern in the US and Canada, and many European countries alert to the deadly potential of attacks by armed terrorists, the response to such events by both police and those targeted can be crucial in saving lives; Vernon White, former Chief of Police for Ottawa Police Service, and Joe Carlebach, former Hammersmith and Fulham councillor, explore the approaches used in the police response to active shooters, and what facilities and organisations can be doing to protect their 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.

OPINION: The recent attacks on Israel by Hamas, and the response of the Israeli Defence Force in Gaza, have prompted long and heated debates about the terminology used to describe the actions and those involved; but former Police Scotland Superintendent Martin Gallagher, now a police lecturer and terrorism specialist, argues that there is a clear definition of terrorism and terrorist activity, the criteria for which can used to measure the actions of both sides in this conflict.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: Digital transformation is something of a buzz word in British policing, and the switch to cloud computing is viewed by many as crucial to leveraging the greatest benefits from those transformational opportunities; Ian Holmes, commercial sales manager, and Klaus Dalgaard, business development manager, both of Hexagon’s Safety, Infrastructure & Geospatial division, spoke to Policing Insight about the move towards the cloud and policing’s wider digital transformation journey.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: The Inspire Justice Awards, supported by Policing Insight, take place at the QEII Centre in London on Thursday 26th October. We are pleased to announce the twenty-two finalists across eleven award categories.

FEATURE: Terrorism researchers, policy makers and industry stakeholders will gather in Brussels later this month for the 2023 Security Research Event; ahead of the conference, Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth looks at some of the key projects that will feature at the event, focusing particularly on continuing efforts to tackle terrorist content online.

FEATURE: As police forces in the UK collaborate with local authorities, government and community groups to promote National Hate Crime Awareness Week, new figures from the US and the UK highlight an increase in hate crime – particularly anti-Semitism – with incidents surging in the wake of the horrific attacks and continuing conflict between Israel and Gaza, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

OPINION: This Friday (20 October) marks a year since the final report from the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse was published; to mark this, Ian Critchley, the National Police Chiefs’ Council Lead for Child Protection and Abuse Investigation and former Deputy Chief Constable of Merseyside, has written about the journey policing has been on in the approach to investigating child sexual abuse and exploitation, and how victims and survivors are supported.

ANALYSIS: New research funded by the N8 Police Research Partnership into the experiences of both victim-survivors of coercive and controlling behaviour (CCB) and frontline officers involved in such cases has found that while policing’s understanding and awareness of the manipulative tactics employed by CCB perpetrators has improved, stereotypical images of victims can still mean such behaviour goes undetected, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

OPINION: Policing in the UK and internationally seemingly struggles to find the best approach to using social media, with forces and officers either criticised for not being proactive enough, or drawn into controversy as situations go viral; former police officer Oliver Laurence, now a policing consultant, looks at some of the recent challenges that have faced the UK’s largest force in its use of Twitter and X (caution this article contains content that may upset some readers).

FEATURE: As the impact of climate change on policing continues to be discussed around the world, the UK’s recently updated National Risk Register has highlighted some of the key threats to safety and security, including environmental risks; Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth looks at one of those threats – flooding – in more detail, and explores the policing and emergency services planned response, as well as EU research in reducing disaster risk.

FEATURE: The consequences of climate change are increasingly recognised as a growing concern for policing and community safety, and were the subject of a recent @WeCops Twitter Chat; in this article Dr David Lydon of Canterbury Christ Church University (CCCU), who hosted the chat, reflects on the conversations and comments during the discussion, providing a narrative of the anonymised views and opinions of those taking part.

OPINION: Artificial intelligence is increasingly being used by New Zealand Police to identify, analyse and investigate criminals and criminal activity; but University of Auckland Associate Professor Alexandra Sims believes that new legislation and independent monitoring is needed to protect against the dangers of the erosion of privacy and algorithmic bias, and ensure compliance with existing frameworks and principles.

FEATURE: Concerns over the wellbeing of investigators – particularly those involved in sexual offence cases – has been raised in a number of reports and reviews, but recent efforts to focus on those issues has helped to significantly reduce the number of unfilled detective vacancies; ahead of next month’s Investigator Wellbeing Week of Action, Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons spoke to organiser Sarah-Jayne Bray about the aims of the event and the difference the renewed focus is making to officer and staff wellbeing.

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.

FEATURE: The recent horrific terrorist attacks on Israel, as well as the discovery of an extensive terrorist plot targeting Tehran, have highlighted once again the ever-present threat of terrorism, and it’s potentially devastating impact; Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth looks at the latest initiative to protect public spaces across the UK and Europe from such threats, as well as new EU funding to develop measures that will increase the security of citizens against terrorism.

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.

FEATURE: Facing recruitment and retention challenges, Queensland Police Service has launched a new Special Constable scheme to attract those who have recently retired or resigned back into the force; and as Acting Inspector Howard Kemp explained to Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons, the scheme is also providing an incentive to older new recruits who know they won’t have to leave the Service completely at 60, but can return as a Special.

INTERVIEW: In the latest in a series of articles focusing on the recent UK Police Digital Summit, Policing Insight’s Graham Jarvis spoke to Norfolk Deputy Chief Constable Simon Megicks, the National Police Chiefs’ Council Lead for Digital Public Contact, about how improved police communications and engagement, increased digital contact channel options, and tailored one-to-one messaging can help to address the decline in public trust and confidence in policing.