Personnel

INNOVATION: In the latest in a series of articles exploring the opportunities and challenges presented to police by the rapid growth of artificial intelligence (AI), Chief Philip Lukens explores the unintended exposure of potentially sensitive information through a short-lived OpenAI experiment that left ChatGPT conversations not meant for public consumption accessible via Google Search, and the lessons that policing can learn from this.

INTERVIEW: The latest wellbeing survey of police officers in England and Wales has been labelled a “wake-up call” by Andy Rhodes, Service Director at Oscar Kilo, the National Police Wellbeing Service, who told Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons that the police service is on “borrowed time” when it comes to officer attrition through exhaustion and fatigue, and warned that policing “can’t keep pushing the pedal harder”.

ANALYSIS: The latest police workforce data for England and Wales shows that while successive governments have promised more funding and additional officers, the total police workforce still remains smaller than at its previous peak 15 years ago; in the first in this new series of articles on workforce development, Ian Wiggett looks at the changes in size and make-up of the police workforce over the past year – the first under a Labour Government since 2010.

OPINION: With the policing focus in London inevitably drawn towards next week’s Notting Hill Carnival, Policing Insight’s Graham Wettone – a former Metropolitan Police officer and public order specialist who was involved in the policing of Carnival for 28 years – looks at the challenges of the event, the fears around public safety and the pressures of funding, and considers what would be the price to pay for a safer and more financially stable Carnival.

FEATURE: British Transport Police (BTP) is believed to the first force in the UK to recruit police officers specifically to work part time, in an effort to both increase the representation of women and meet the force’s business needs more effectively; BTP Director of People and Culture Rachael Etebar told Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons that while the approach had seemed to shock some people, the first round of recruitment had attracted a cohort of higher quality, more mature candidates.

OPINION: The story of the Special Air Service (SAS), entertainingly told (with some creative licence) in the BBC SAS Rogue Heroes drama series, highlights the impact of embracing the unorthodox and encouraging innovative and analytical ideals when traditional approaches are not succeeding; Jonathan Jackson, Associate Professor of Policing and Investigation at Leeds Trinity University, believes policing in the UK would do well to learn from those approaches in tackling some of the current complex challenges.

ANALYSIS: Police wellbeing is increasingly a matter for serious concern in the UK, highlighted most recently by the results of the National Police Wellbeing Survey; Dr Ashley Cartwright and PhD Researcher Ellie Hutchison of the University of Huddersfield’s Crime and Policing Research Centre believe new research into individuals’ character strengths could lead to an evidence-based interventions programme that will proactively build psychological resources to help shape a healthier, more resilient police service.

FEATURE: More than 140 potential chief officers in England and Wales have now passed through the College of Policing’s Executive Leaders Programme, the replacement for the Strategic Command Course, where activities include placements at non-policing organisations; the reformed process has seen a rise in women taking the course, but is far from hitting one of its main aims, as Ian Weinfass reports.

INNOVATION: With the response to those in mental health crisis a challenge for policing in many jurisdictions, a new programme launched by New Zealand Police has seen handover times to emergency departments for those detained under the country’s Mental Health Act reduced to one hour, with a long-term aim of completing successful handovers within 15 minutes, as programme lead Inspector Matthew Morris explained to Policing Insight’s Tina Orr Munro.

INTERVIEW: Following the recent launch of a new Mental Health Crisis Line offering around the clock support to police officers and staff in England and Wales who are experiencing a mental health crisis or suicidal thoughts, Andy Rhodes – Service Director for Oscar Kilo, which has commissioned the service – spoke to Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons about the reasons behind the launch, how the line will operate, and why he was “worried but proud” to do something positive about saving lives.

INTERVIEW: New discipline regulations implemented in An Garda Síochána as part of the reform of the service under the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024 will mean Gardaí are “treated differently from every other employee in the state”, says Garda Representative Association General Secretary Ronan Slevin, who fears members could face “far more serious sanctions for far more minor breaches”, as he explained to Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons.

FEATURE: In the latest article in The Police Student series, Policing Insight Academic Editor Dr Carina O’Reilly explores the work of non-state agencies in the criminal justice system – including both third sector and private sector organisations – and considers the vital roles they play in filling gaps within the statutory service provision, the challenges around their involvement, and the importance for police officers of understanding these agencies’ positions within the complex criminal justice landscape.

INNOVATION: The Offending 2 Recovery (O2R) programme pioneered by West Midlands Police is credited with life-saving support to get addicts off of drugs, while also significantly reducing the shoplifting crimewave faced by retailers; Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons spoke to the officer who first created O2R, the police and crime commissioner who funds it, and the former addict who stole more than £30m of goods to feed her habit and who believes O2R saved her life.

ANALYSIS: New research among officers from Australia, New Zealand, and England and Wales has highlighted the “alarming” levels of PTSD and poor mental health, and called for a more holistic approach to wellbeing, with training for managers and leaders in providing better support for officers; research co-author Dr Alan Beckley spoke to Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons about the challenges around the internal culture of policing, and the need for “empathetic and caring managers”.

OPINION: Given the abundance of digital data now circulating in society, open-source intelligence (OSINT) offers unparalleled value to investigators, but the volume of material available can be daunting for those new to OSINT, and even leave experienced investigators overwhelmed; Brett Redman, Head of Intelligence at Blackdot Solutions, provides a practical introduction for investigators on applying OSINT with clarity and purpose.

FEATURE: Despite many initiatives to tackle the high volume and harm of domestic abuse, victim-survivors are still being failed, says a new report, with a definition of domestic violence that is “too broad for effective operational policing”, a lack of resources to deal with growing and increasingly complex demand, and a risk assessment system that is “not fit for purpose” among the main barriers to improving service delivery, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

FEATURE: A new Professionalising Investigations Programme launched by the College of Policing (CoP) is now being trialled by 13 forces across England and Wales, with a view to improving outcomes for victims, introducing national first-line supervisor standards, and equipping sergeants and police staff with enhanced skills, as CoP Crime & Criminal Justice Delivery lead Chief Superintendent Jamie Daniels told Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons.

FEATURE: With the policing landscape changing “faster than ever”, Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) Learning and Development lead David Bamber, and Dr Sean Bell, Lecturer in Policing Organisation and Practice at the Open University, explain why the two organisations are working together to introduce a “fully accredited, recognised and validated programme in professional practice” for PFEW reps to ensure they have the skills required to take on a role that is “becoming more challenging”.

FEATURE: While a new report suggests An Garda Síochána officers are still reluctant to engage with service-backed support systems for fear of being stigmatised, one member of the service is “filling the void” by providing free workshops promoting healthy lifestyles through a holistic approach covering issues including nutrition, sleep, exercise, emotional and mental health, stress management and resilience, as Garda Stephen O’Connor explained to Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons.

OPINION: Despite data showing an overall fall in most crime over the last 30 years, the public perception in Britain is one of an increasingly lawless country; the public’s concerns matter, and Patrick Olajide, a Senior Researcher in Crime, Justice and Security at the National Centre for Social Research, believes that how the press report on crime is one factor worsening those fears, by painting an incomplete, distorted and – at worst – dishonest picture of crime and justice in the UK, which has a damaging impact both on communities and those working within the criminal justice system.

FEATURE: A new report from the Scottish Institute for Policing Research has highlighted concerns that officers in public protection roles often mask their true feelings through ‘emotional labour’ – supressing their own personal emotions in order to display organisationally desired ones – and often won’t seek help because of the stigma surrounding mental health, leaving them at risk of long-term emotional and psychological damage, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

OPINION: Police forces and departments across the United States and around the world are facing staffing challenges as well as a “rapidly shifting ecosystem of expectations, resources, and alternatives”, warns public safety consultant Tim Kucerovy; he argues that applying Porter’s Five Forces – a recognized tool for understanding the dynamics shaping an industry – to diagnose the external pressures facing law enforcement can help agencies to meet and overcome those challenges.

INNOVATION: The College of Policing’s Chief Superintendent Jamie Daniels is calling on police forces across England and Wales to put forward investigations highlighting best practice and innovation as part of a College initiative to create a “national investigation bank” that will improve learning and outcomes while also recognising the stand-out work of officers, as he explained to Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons.

OPINION: In the latest in a regular series of articles from the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC), Avon and Somerset PCC Clare Moody, the APCC’s joint lead on victims and violence against women and girls (VAWG), sets out some of the latest developments in the continuing efforts to significantly reduce VAWG, support victims, and find solutions to a society-wide problem – while reiterating calls for stable, long-term funding to get the job done.