Police forces

FEATURE: The UK’s National Black Police Association (NBPA) is working with academics to design a way to rate forces on issues including trust and representation; the NBPA announced the move at its annual conference this month, where police leaders discussed issues including the exposure of racism at Charing Cross Police Station by the BBC, the Police Race Action Plan, and calls to abolish non-crime hate incidents, as Policing Insight’s Ian Weinfass reports.

OPINION: In the latest in a regular series of articles from the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC), West Yorkshire Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime Alison Lowe, the APCC’s Joint Lead on Transparency and Accountability, looks at the importance and implications of the recently published ‘Hillsborough Law’, and why accountability will continue to be at the heart of ongoing police reform.

INTERVIEW: Greater Manchester Police’s Chief Superintendent Phil Davies leads for the force on data strategy, as well as on data foundations for the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s Data and Analytics Board; he spoke to Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons about the benefits of police borrowing the “digital twin” concept widely used in industry, the need for efficient data quality and management, and how realisation around the importance of data is finally hitting home in policing.

OPINION: Latest United Nations figures indicate that in 2023, only 8% of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) workforce were women, with the majority of those in junior clerical posts; Dr Usman A. Ojedokun, a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Sociology at Nigeria’s University of Ibadan, looks at the historical and cultural challenges behind the NPF’s gender gap, and what steps can be taken to address it

OPINION: The New Zealand Parliament is currently considering a bill which could criminalise public protests that take place too close to people’s homes or private residences; but Professor Kris Gledhill of Auckland University of Technology argues that not only is the proposed legislation unnecessary given the laws already in place, but will be difficult for police to enforce, and unlikely to be upheld by the courts.

FEATURE: With serious and organised crime recognised by Europol as one of the greatest security threats currently facing the EU, Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth looks at the latest funding opportunities for police forces across the continent including the UK, as well as New Zealand and Canada, to develop projects seeking to improve the intelligence picture and the “enhanced prevention, detection and deterrence” of organised crime.

FEATURE: Victims of violence against women and girls who may be susceptible to repeat attacks are being given cans of chemically marked forensic spray as a deterrent against potential attackers; an evaluation of the scheme found that the approach helps to build trust and confidence in policing, speed up court processes, and helps to reduce investigator workloads, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

INTERVIEW: With policing in many countries increasingly acknowledging the damage to officer wellbeing from “toxic leadership” and “sanctuary trauma”, Laura Kloosterman, Executive Director of independent peer support charity Badge of Life Canada spoke to Policing Insight’s Matthew Wood about the toll of organisational stress, the importance of peer support being provided by an outside agency, and why the focus on both leadership and wellness should start early in an officer’s career.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: The University of Bristol is leading a major research study examining sexual misconduct and abuse by high-trust professionals, including police officers. Police professionals are now invited to contribute to this important work.

OPINION: New bail laws introduced in Victoria this summer aim to tackle repeat high-harm offending with a new ‘high-harm test’ and tougher rules on offences committed while on bail; but Kavitha Vipulananda, author, speaker and reform consultant, highlights Law Institute of Victoria concerns around disproportionality stemming from the new legislation, and urges the state Government to focus more on wraparound services and rehabilitation or risk repeating past failures.

FEATURE: HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary in Scotland Craig Naylor has warned that the ongoing reform of Police Scotland should not reduce the force’s capability, and has called for Scotland to introduce a similar proceeds of crime asset recovery scheme to that which exists in England and Wales, to provide additional funding for the force – particularly in the fight against organised crime – as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

OPINION: A judgment delivered this week by the Supreme Court of New South Wales, which found that a strip search carried out by New South Wales Police of festival goer Raya Meredith (the lead plaintiff in a class action) was unlawful, could have significant implications for the way police across Australia carry out strip searches, says UNSW Associate Professor and Senior Law Lecturer, Dr Vicki Sentas.

OPINION: With officers in the UK often placed in an untenable position by activists and others weaponising the complaints process in relation to a wide range of operational decisions – including the investigation of online posts – former West Midlands Sergeant Phil Cleary, co-founder of SmartWater and now a published novelist, argues that it’s time for Parliament to act to narrow the scope of referable complaints to the Independent Office for Police Conduct, enabling officers to return to exercising discretion.

FEATURE: The recent arrest in Qatar of one of Canada’s most wanted fugitives highlighted the value of the INTERPOL Red Notice system; Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth explores how Red Notices work, the level of co-operation required from law enforcement agencies in different international jurisdictions, and why police and border staff need to keep up to date with the active Red Notices.

INNOVATION: Waterloo Regional Police Service has become the first police force in Canada to adopt the stratified policing model, encouraging officers to change their focus to targeted crime suppression and prevention while increasing accountability at all levels and improving community engagement and multi-agency partnerships, as Deputy Chief Jen Davis told Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons.

INTERVIEW: As the College of Policing launches new guidance for professional reviews, Chief Constable Sir Andy Marsh spoke to Policing Insight’s Ian Weinfass about the importance of regular dialogue with line managers, including how his own helped him stay in the job during a battle against cancer.

FEATURE: The latest report from the Social Market Foundation into the UK’s approach to tackling serious and organised crime (SOC) urges the Government to draw up a new strategy to meet the challenge of SOC, ensure the organised crime threat receives a higher priority, and increase resources and support for the National Crime Agency which currently performs poorly in comparison with FBI counterparts because of underfunding, reports Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons.

FEATURE: The latest review of Queensland Police Service watch-houses – buildings designed to offer temporary accommodation for prisoners before transfer to prison or court – has highlighted increased stress and injury for staff due to poor working conditions, and facilities in widespread disrepair leading to damaging impacts on the health and wellbeing of detainees, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

ANALYSIS: The recent ‘Unite The Kingdom’ march in central London – the largest demonstration in the city organised by right-wing groups, and the biggest protest in the capital for nearly two years – led to 24 arrests on the day (others are likely to follow), 26 officers injured, and violent confrontations with counter-protestors; Policing Insight’s Graham Wettone, a former Metropolitan Police officer and public order specialist, looks at the challenges around the policing operation, and lessons for the future.

OPINION: Increases in knife-crime offences have prompted calls for the introduction of Jack’s Law in Victoria, an approach enabling police to carry out random ‘wanding’ searches for weapons that is already in place in several Australian states including Queensland and New South Wales; but Criminology Senior Lecturer Dr Joel McGregor of Swinburne University of Technology argues that research suggests the approach has little benefit, and that addressing prevention and support would be more effective.

INTERVIEW: In the latest in a short series of interviews sharing the views and achievements of recent winners of International Association of Women Police awards, Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons spoke to Greater Manchester Police Detective Inspector Anna Rickards, whose experiences of combining a policing career with motherhood prompted her drive to change the culture around part-time roles, improve service flexibility and mentor women into senior roles – for which she recently received the IAWP Inspiration Award.

ANALYSIS: The South Caucasus region of Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia is increasingly becoming a hub for organised crime networks spanning borders between Europe, Eurasia and beyond, warns a new study from the Global Initiative against Transnational Organised Crime, with the region’s ports and borders also being used by both organised crime and licit trade to beat sanctions imposed on Russia, as Policing Insight’s Dr Chris Allen reports.

INTERVIEW: In the second in a short series of interviews sharing the views and achievements of recent winners of International Association of Women Police awards, Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons spoke to former Vancouver PD Detective Constable Maire Kenny about her role in developing a pilot programme supporting indigenous victims of intimate partner violence – against a backdrop of decades of distrust of policing – which saw a surge in reporting and a strengthening of community relationships.

OPINION: The recent use of live facial recognition (LFR) by the Metropolitan Police at Notting Hill Carnival brought the new technology back under the spotlight; Dr Asress Gikay, Senior Lecturer in AI, Disruptive Innovation and Law at Brunel University of London, argues that LFR is here to stay, and rather than “pushing unrealistic proposals of bans or moratoriums”, the debate should be weighing the trade-offs between human rights and public safety to ensure the proportionate use of the technology.