Police forces - United Kingdom

Prize draw winner: The lucky winner of the Apple iPad Air 2 randomly drawn from the hundreds of participants is a police inspector currently studying for a BSc in Policing.

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.

NEWS: Transport for London is providing British Transport Police with an additional £3.4m in funding to ensure a visible policing presence as the new Night Tube starts running this weekend. Martin Hoscik examines the plans.

ANALYSIS: Should the Scottish Government go ahead with its planned integration of the British Transport Police (BTP) into Police Scotland? Kath Murray looks at the implications of the proposal - and warns that the case for integration needs to be made much clearer.

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.

EXCLUSIVE: Lord Willy Bach, the first serving parliamentarian to be elected as a Police and Crime Commissioner, talks about the learning curve for PCCs, appointing a deputy, and why 'blue light' mergers could leave the Fire Service as the poor relation.

OPINION: Arfon Jones, newly elected PCC for North Wales and one of the first two Plaid Cymru PCCs, talks about his background as a police officer, the Home Office's obsession with crime statistics, and his focus on domestic violence and youth justice.

OPINION: Photos of a gay Metropolitan Police officer proposing to his partner at London Pride last month were shared nationally and internationally, and highlighted the changes that have taken place in police culture and attitudes over the last several decades. Steve Bax of the Police Federation of England and Wales explores how these changes have affected officers on the ground, and what still needs to be done.

OPINION: Dealing with the most vulnerable is a priority for the police. On 22 July, @WeCops held an online debate on early intervention, with CI Justin Srivastava (@CiSrivastava) as the guest host. Eric Halford (@DSEricHalford) summarises the debate and why early intervention matters - and how it can be done better.

OPINION: New PCC for Derbyshire Hardyal Dhindsa talks to Policing Insight about diversity, mental health, fire mergers, and his pledge to visit all 383 towns and villages in Derbyshire to reach out to the county's different communities.

OPINION: What are the major challenges for a PCC entering their second term? Katy Bourne, PCC for Sussex, gives us her reflections on the job, her achievements, and the opportunities ahead.

OPINION: Jason Ablewhite was elected in May as Cambridgeshire's new Police and Crime Commissioner. He describes his first month on the job - the lessons he's learned and the challenges he sees in the years ahead.

BOOK EXTRACT: Policing Insight is delighted to publish extracts from "Police Dog Heroes," by Michael Layton and Bill Rogerson.

ANALYSIS: PCCs are overwhelmingly white and male, but what about the people they employ? Sandra Andrews of CoPaCC analyses the diversity of the staff that make up the Offices of the PCCs - and finds that transparency as well as diversity remain challenging issues.

OPINION: Colin Pipe was the first (and so far the only) Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner to hold office as a volunteer. In the fifth of our blogs celebrating Volunteers' Week, he argues that service - and therefore volunteering - should be at the heart of everything that PCCs do.

OPINION: In the second of our series celebrating volunteering in policing, Dr Amie Birkhamshaw says PCCs have confounded their critics by embracing the volunteering agenda and embedding volunteers in the fabric of their planning

OPINION: Chief Constable Dave Thompson of West Midlands Police pays tribute to efforts made to increase diversity, but warns that police still need to correct assumptions, think harder, and talk about their challenges.

ANALYSIS: Carina O'Reilly provides a powerful analysis of the lessons that policing really must learn following the Hillsborough Inquest verdict.

OPINION: Serving officer 'Nathan Constable' argues that following the failings of Hillsborough, the argument that officers shouldn't be punished for the decisions of a small few all that time ago is pointless and wrong.

ANALYSIS: Download and print our useful at-a-glance infographics mapping the 2016 PCC Elections results and comparing them with 2012.

ANALYSIS: Adam Simmonds, stepping down as Northamptonshire's PCC this Wednesday, looks back on his time as Commissioner

OPINION: Kent PCC Ann Barnes looks back on her time in office, and offers some advice for those putting themselves forward for election in May