PCC / Police Authority accountability

NEWS: CoPaCC's annual review to determine how well PCCs' Offices are meeting their statutory responsibilities on transparency is well under way. This year's Quality Mark presentations will take place on Monday, 28th November, with support again from the Committee on Standards in Public Life and leading police auditor Grant Thornton.

OPINION: Lincolnshire Police made headlines last month after PCC Marc Jones announced he would be advertising internationally for its new chief constable. Local resident and policing commentator Cate Moore sings the praises of the force and calls for an energetic moderniser to step up to the plate.

OPINION: Many police forces are exploring the possibilities of cloud-based data management, but can face significant barriers to implementation - not least budgetary restraints. However, James Slessor of Accenture argues that next-generation policing will depend on the capabilities that cloud technology will offer.

NEWS: Policing Insight's rolling coverage of the Police Foundation's fringe event at the Labour Party conference, "Reducing crime through innovation, the role of PCCs"

NEWS: Lancashire has become the first police force to go live with a force-specific instance of CONNECT, Northgate Public Services' new software platform. The move has seen Lancashire over a million legacy cases, five million associated files and 10,000 live case files.

OPINION: The House of Commons Justice Select Committee in September published its report on restorative justice. Durham and Darlington Police and Crime Commissioner Ron Hogg welcomes the report, and outlines the way that Durham has led on the development of restorative approaches.

OPINION: CoPaCC Director, John Tizard, reflects on CoPaCC's recent "Brexit: Implications for policing and security" event supported by leading law firm Fieldfisher. Many policing stakeholders contributed to the seminar discussion, including PCCs, Deputy PCCs, OPCC staff, senior and former police officers, national policing agency and government departmental officials.

NEWS: Policing Insight's rolling coverage of the Police Foundation's fringe event at the Labour Party conference, "Reducing crime through innovation, the role of PCCs"

BREXIT - Implications for policing: Former ACPO President Sir Hugh Orde's keynote speech to the CoPaCC "Brexit: Implications for policing and security" event on Wednesday, 14th September 2016

BREXIT - Implications for policing: Dorset PCC Martyn Underhill delivers his keynote speech to the CoPaCC "Brexit: Implications for policing and security" event on Wednesday, 14th September 2016

NEWS: Bernard Rix, CoPaCC Chief Executive, invites every OPCC to participate in this year's review of PCC and OPCC transparency

OPINION: The use of controversial spit hoods was suspended last week in London after intervention from new Mayor Sadiq Khan. Nick Alston of Anglia Ruskin University's Policing Institute for the Eastern Region argues that not enough is known of the real risks and benefits of spit hoods, and the College of Policing needs to step up with rigorous evidence of the pros and cons.

OPINION: Laboratory reports of hepatitis C have almost doubled in three years in London, while some 59% of London's injecting drug users (classically, crack and heroin) have hepatitis C. Rory Geoghegan of the Centre for Public Safety argues that forces need to explain to the public what a spit guard is, how it works and why it is needed - and that spit guards are a no-brainer for effective policing.

NEWS: A unique conference in Munich later this month - with attendance free - showcases research on social media and community policing across Europe for the first time. Lindsey Gunby of West Yorkshire for Innovation, the organisers of the conference, talks about the projects and their potential for technology to help transform community policing.

ANALYSIS: Did parliamentary scrutiny fail in the case of Police Scotland? Kath Murray argues that at least some of the difficulties that have since beset the force might be allied to the Scottish political system - here, she examines the evidence.

ANALYSIS: Julian Foster, Global co-lead for the Social Media Center of Excellence at Motorola Solutions, examines how social media is being used in policing – the opportunities, success stories, key challenges and future potential.

NEWS: Bernard Rix, CoPaCC Chief Executive, provides details of CoPaCC's 2016 examination of PCCs' and OPCCs' transparency

OPINION: Kathryn Holloway, Police and Crime Commissioner for Bedfordshire, marks her first 100 days in office by publishing her first 100 achievements.

OPINION: Should drug addicts be treated as victims themselves? Research suggests that prescribing pharmaceutical heroin can reduce the use of street drugs and associated levels of crime. Ron Hogg, former senior police officer, now Durham’s Police, Crime and Victims Commissioner, argues that this isn't going soft on drugs, but going sensible.

ANALYSIS: Last week, the Daily Mail published a story claiming Chief Constables were raking in huge salaries and benefits at the public expense. Cate Moore explores the story behind the headlines, and finds little true investigation and even less accuracy - and warns that a race to the bottom benefits nobody.

OPINION: The first hundred days of a new PCC are overwhelmingly busy and full of meetings and helpful advice. But few of these will directly address the most important aspects of making a success of the job. Karen Drury looks at the relationships, and the necessary managing of conflict, needed to keep the show on the road.

OPINION: David Jamieson, PCC for the West Midlands, argues that the proposed model for the new mayor of the West Midlands Combined Authority is weak and not fit for purpose, and calls for the CA to pause, reflect, and review the role.

OPINION: The latest NFU report on rural crime showed marked variations in some crime types and between local force areas. But which interventions are working? Nick Alston, former Essex PCC and now Chair of the newly launched Policing Institute for the Eastern Region, calls for more research into what works to reduce rural - and other - crime.

EXCLUSIVE: New PCC for Cheshire, David Keane, blogs about his 100-day listening exercise, and why the police need to be based in the heart of the community - not in police stations.