Police forces - United Kingdom

UK PCC Elections 2021: With the final results of the 2021 police and crime commissioner (PCC) election now finally in, Policing Insight Publisher Bernard Rix looks at the blue wave that seems to have swept across much of the country, and considers the roles and challenges facing both new and returning PCCs.

UK PCC ELECTIONS 2021: As the dust slowly settles on the 2021 police and crime commissioner (PCC) elections, and those in post start to implement their manifestos, Professor Peter Joyce (Wrexham Glyndŵr University) and Dr Wendy Laverick (University of Hull) take a closer look at the election process – who fought on what issues, how the parties fared, the profiles of those now in office, and what the challenges will be for PCCs going forwards.

FREE SUBSCRIBER ACCESS: Policing Insight welcomes officers and staff from Australian Federal Police, who now have FREE access with the start of a new organisation wide subscription. They join a community of officers and staff from many other UK and international police forces with an interest in progressive policing. Read on to find out how to use your FREE subscriber access.

FEATURE: A six-month secondment to Police Scotland enabled two Vietnamese officers to support the force’s work targeting organised crime groups involved in trafficking people into the country from Vietnam; Policing Insight Deputy Editor Sarah Gibbons spoke to Detective Superintendent Fil Capaldi, Police Scotland’s lead for modern slavery and human trafficking, about the ‘lawfully audacious and exploratory approach’.

OPINION: As the public head to the polls today to vote in local council and police and crime commissioner (PCC) elections, two-term North Yorkshire PCC (becoming one of only four Police, Fire and Crime Commissioners) Julia Mulligan – who is not standing again this year – looks back at her time in office, and explores how commissioners can champion causes, change priorities, focus minds and deliver results as catalysts for reform.

FREE SUBSCRIBER ACCESS: Policing Insight welcomes officers and staff from North Yorkshire Police, who now have FREE access with the start of a new organisation wide subscription. They join a community of officers and staff from many other UK and international police forces with an interest in progressive policing. Read on to find out how to use your FREE subscriber access.

Advertisement Feature: Towards Justice: Law Enforcement & Reconciliation is a 2-day virtual conference convened by Cumberland Lodge and supported by Policing Insight, on 17-18 June 2021, examining policing approaches and criminal justice responses to past harms and injustices in society. The Cumberland Lodge team outline the key features of the interactive programme and how to secure your place.

FEATURE: The idea of drug-filled submarines bringing cocaine from Colombia to Europe may seem more suited to the cinema screen than the Atlantic, but as Policing insight’s Chris Allen reports, recent seizures would suggest that narco-subs built in South America are now able to travel much longer distances, bringing their lethal cargo to a much larger market.

ANALYSIS: A research project to collate audio diaries from serving UK police officers has highlighted the impact that stress and emotional suppression is having on their mental health; Former detective inspector Sarah-Jane Lennie, now a Chartered Psychologist and Researcher at Manchester Metropolitan University, outlines the findings from the project, and the implications for policing and police officers.

ANALYSIS: Many people – including police officers – base their ability to detect liars on faulty logic, false promises and unreliable cues; Detective Chief Superintendent Colin Paine, and University of Portsmouth Teaching Fellow Cody Porter, expose some of the myths around lie detection, and highlight the latest evidence-based approaches to identifying the truth.

ANALYSIS: More than a year after Sir Craig Mackey submitted his review of UK serious organised crime, last month the Government published an ‘Executive Summary’ only, adding that plans to tackle SOC would now come under the Integrated Security Review; Policing Insight's Ian Wiggett reports on the challenges, concerns and lack of detail in the fight against organised crime.

Insight: A new multi-partner approach to sharing data has been adopted in Thames Valley to help tackle the scourge of violence; Governed by a principle of no 'misuse' of data, whilst ensuring there is no 'missed use' of data, the project aims to direct early intervention and prevention strategies, explains its head, DCI Lewis Prescott-Mayling.

UK PCC ELECTIONS 2021: With just over two weeks until the police and crime commissioner elections in England and Wales, Policing Insight’s in-depth coverage is underway; Policing Insight’s Publisher Bernard Rix takes a look at the likely open contests, safe seats, and those too close to call.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: Involved in policing for over 30 years, the end of 2020 marked Mike Cunningham’s departure from his pivotal role as Chief Executive of the College of Policing (CoP). This year, continuing on his mission to drive change across the sector, Mike has joined Skills for Justice as an associate; here he talks with Toby Lindsay, Principal Consultant for Leadership, Management and Organisation Development (OD), about the skills he deems essential to the future of policing.

FEATURE: Several studies over recent years have highlighted the issues around mental health, stress and fatigue faced by blue light workers, but awareness hasn’t always led to action; Debra Kettle of KIM Software Solutions, organisers of a new series of wellbeing webinars for the emergency services, hopes the shared experiences and discussions will help to turn the rhetoric into reality.

FEATURE: Forty years ago this month, rioting erupted in Brixton – and later in 1981 across the country – leading to one of the most significant inquiries into policing in the UK; in the second half of a two-part feature, Dr Wendy Laverick of Hull University and Professor Peter Joyce of Wrexham Glyndŵr University explore the impact of Lord Scarman’s recommendations, and their legacy on key areas of police reform.

FEATURE: The recent riots in Northern Ireland have been blamed on the Brexit sea border controversy and the decision not to prosecute Republican mourners over a COVID-19 funeral breach; but a recent review of terrorism legislation warns that delays and failures in the country’s criminal justice system could exacerbate the issues, as Policing insight’s Andrew Staniforth explains.

OPINION: Serious public disorder has been a regular feature of news bulletins in recent weeks, from Bristol and Clapham Common to Belfast and Ballymena; public order expert and former chief superintendent Owen West believes a lack of clarity over coronavirus regulation has been a major factor – and if unresolved, could lead to a summer of potentially violent unrest.

UK PCC ELECTIONS 2021: With less than two months to go to the police and crime commissioner elections for the English and Welsh forces, Policing Insight is launching its in-depth coverage. We’ll be constantly updating our tracker so you’ll be able to check out the candidates as they declare their intention to stand. Policing Insight’s Publisher Bernard Rix takes a look at the field so far.

FEATURE: Forty years ago this month, rioting erupted in Brixton – and later in 1981 across the country – leading to one of the most significant inquiries into policing in the UK; in the first of a two-part feature, Dr Wendy Laverick of Hull University and Professor Peter Joyce of Wrexham Glyndŵr University explore the context and key recommendations for police reform from the Scarman report.

OPINION: The murder of Sarah Everard, and the review into the policing of the Clapham Common vigil, have highlighted key issues around police action in the UK and public confidence; London Policing College Director Rod Jarman, a former senior Met Police officer, explores some of those wider concerns, and outlines steps the service could take to promote reassurance and real change.

POLICING FRIENDSHIP TOUR: From maps and medical supplies to sleeping bags and the SmartLav+, preparations are now well underway for Policing Insight Publisher Bernard Rix, as he gets ready to embark on the Policing Friendship Tour, a walking tour of UK police forces to raise funds and awareness of police wellbeing; but with lockdown restrictions still limiting accommodation options, suitable sites to pitch a tent are at a premium – so can you help?

FEATURE: Super-recognisers – those people with exceptional abilities in recognising faces – have already been successfully deployed by police forces in the UK and elsewhere; but new research by Dr Josh Davis and Ryan Jenkins of the University of Greenwich, and David James Robertson of the University of Strathclyde, suggest those with excellent voice-recognition skills could play a similar role for law enforcement.

INTERVIEW: Ahead of this week’s launch of the UK’s new Police Digital Service, Policing Insight Deputy Editor Sarah Gibbons spoke to CEO Ian Bell about the transition from the Police ICT Company,the pace of technological change in policing, and the aims and ambitions of the new organisation.