Police forces - United Kingdom

FEATURE: Continuing the latest series of The Police Student, Policing Insight Academic Editor Dr Carina O’Reilly explores the issue of policing in popular culture – from the earliest historical depictions to the growth of police procedurals, contemporary representations and reality TV – and examines not only how those representations reflect the relationship between society and policing, but how they can shape it.

ANALYSIS: Predictive hotspot policing has been heralded by some as the way to do more with less and secure better outcomes, but others have questioned its effectiveness and the dangers of reinforcing bias; Criminology Lecturer Dr Daniel Marciniak, a key speaker at the recent Policing in the Age of the Machine conference, looks at the learning from existing research into predictive policing, and where the approach goes from here.

FEATURE: The latest report into use of force by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has recommended reconsidering the issuing of firearms to all officers, and restricting the use of Tasers; but the Police Federation has warned that such moves would lead to more officers being attacked and injured, particularly with the continuing terrorist threat, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

INTERVIEW: International development organisations around the world are focused on achieving sustainable development goals, but their efforts are at risk of being undermined by financial crime; Oliver May, Leader for International Development Practice at Deloitte Australia, spoke to Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons about the improving response of NGOs to financial crime and the need for law enforcement to help countries and organisations tackle that threat.

OPINION: This week saw calls for a ‘leadership style more open to critique’ to address policing’s ‘toxic’ culture; but Policy Exchange Head of Crime & Justice David Spencer, a former detective chief inspector, argues that while a new leadership doctrine is needed, solutions to the current crisis must be rooted in policing’s history and the unique role officers are asked to do.

ANALYSIS: While significant steps have been taken to improve Police Scotland’s response to domestic abuse, a new thematic review of the issue by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland has highlighted outdated and problematic attitudes to the crime, substantial pressure on resources, and significant delays in securing digital evidence that are hampering that response, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

FEATURE: The ongoing debate about degree requirements for UK policing recruits took a new turn recently, when Home Secretary Suella Braverman told forces to keep open a route into the profession that didn’t involve a degree; former officer turned policing lecturer Tom Andrews, and branch Federation Secretary Jon Carter-Lang – regular sparring partners in the degree debate – sat down together to consider a potential ‘best of both worlds’ alternative entry pathway.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: Digital evidence is growing by leaps and bounds, especially with the roll out of new body worn camera systems. But this evidence is not always easily accessible. To address the challenges of managing digital evidence, Lancashire Constabulary adopted a new approach. The force leverages NICE Investigate to make digital evidence from multiple connected systems, including body worn video, readily accessible to officers through a single login and to speed up Lancashire's ability to share video with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

INTERVIEW: The US Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) has long been a pioneer of promoting community engagement and partnerships for law enforcement across America; Policing Insight’s Christine Townsend spoke to COPS’ Nazmia Comrie about investing in long-term initiatives, how community policing can improve violence reduction, and why digging into the data is crucial.

OPINION: The case this week of serial rapist PC David Carrick has once again highlighted gaps in the vetting and misconduct processes that could have identified the threat posed by the Met officer much earlier; British Transport Police Chief Constable Lucy D’Orsi believes there are a number of steps that can be taken quickly and easily to close those gaps, and ensure patterns of complaints lead to a swift identification of any underlying issues.

OPINION: Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley’s recently unveiled plan for reform of the force is underpinned throughout by the introduction of “precise community crime-fighting”; Police Foundation Research Director Andy Higgins takes a closer look at what the term will mean in practice, how similar ideas have fared elsewhere, and why unifying neighbourhood and evidenced-based policing approaches could deliver significant benefits.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: Front-line police deserve to be protected by equipment that not only protects them, but the public too. TASER technology is one of the most studied, safe and effective means of quickly stopping a threat. In this article, we’ll dig into the research around TASER energy devices and address misconceptions and myths.

FEATURE: Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley last week unveiled the outlines of a turnaround plan for the force based on “precise community crime fighting”, a new performance framework and new professional values; but just days after the ambitious plan was announced, the force was facing fresh controversy with the conviction of serial rapist PC David Carrick highlighting concerns over vetting, conduct and complaints, as Policing Insight’s Keith Potter reports.

ANALYSIS: Public trust in policing is essential in maintaining police legitimacy and effectiveness, and people’s perceptions of police are a valuable indicator of levels of community trust and confidence; Dr Rasha Kassem and Dr Ian Kennedy of the Open University explore some of the factors influencing negative and positive perceptions of policing, many of which were highlighted during a recent University of Oxford public engagement event.

OPINION: The last 12 months have been tumultuous for policing in England and Wales, so what challenges will law enforcement face in 2023? Police Foundation Director Rick Muir explores the key issues for policing in the year ahead, including recruitment and retention, reviews and reform, and the potential impact of politics and new legislation.

FEATURE: Hot-spot policing is widely regarded as a high-profile success of evidence-based policing; but recent trials in London suggest that cities which are already strongly policed see little impact on crime figures from adopting a hot-spot approach, as Policing Insight Contributing Editor Sarah Gibbons reports.

INTERVIEW: In the latest in a series of interviews with leading figures involved in the research and investigation of organised crime, Policing Insight’s Chris Allen spoke to organised crime consultant Tony Lock about the IT-induced reconfiguration of organised crime, the need to tackle organised crime at source, and the role of the ‘grey enablers and kleptocrats’.

ANALYSIS: A new joint investigation into the police response to ethnic minority victims of sexual abuse who may be at risk of honour-based abuse has found that inadequate ethnicity recording of victims has become an “intolerable problem”, while a lack of cultural understanding and awareness among police officers and staff has left victims facing “unacceptable” further risks, as Policing Insight’s Keith Potter reports.

FEATURE: Data obtained from digital devices is now as essential to modern police investigations as DNA evidence or fingerprints; but a recent a report from His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services presents a damning assessment of how forces in England and Wales are handling digital forensics, and calls for new governance structures and more funding, as Policing Insight’s James Sweetland reports.

FEATURE: Another new report into stop and search has called for major reform and the launch of a taskforce on the topic; Policing Insight’s Graham Wettone looks at the findings of the report, the context and application of existing powers, and how – in the absence of any viable alternative – police and communities could help to ensure that stop and search is used effectively to detect and prevent crime and increase community safety.

New Year Honours: We are pleased to publish and recognise the policing and public safety recipients of the UK and overseas New Year Honours as well as the New Zealand Order of Merit. The team at Policing Insight offer our congratulations and thank all the recipients for their service.

INTERVIEW: Metropolitan Police Commander Dr Alison Heydari, the UK’s national lead on out-of-court disposals, is looking to rebrand the sanctions to reduce reoffending, address offender needs and improve public trust, confidence and legitimacy, as she explained to Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons in this second part of her recent interview.

FEATURE: Vulnerable members of the community experiencing mental health challenges account for a significant proportion of repeat callers to the police and other services; but Occupational Therapy Degree student Bridget Townsend believes a pilot project in which occupational therapists accompany police officers in response to those repeat callers could improve the service to individuals while reducing the resource burden on policing.

ANALYSIS: With inspectorate reports highlighting concerns over the use of anti-rip clothing in police custody, the Independent Custody Visiting Association (ICVA) recently undertook a pilot project with Dyfed Powys Police to improve the monitoring, recording and risk assessments around the use of such clothing, with a long-term aim of ending the measure altogether, as ICVA Interim Chief Executive Sherry Ralph explains.