Police forces

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.

OPINION: The growing Chinese policing influence and presence in Solomon Islands, including a law enforcement approach that focuses more on controlling communities than serving them, should raise concerns for Australia and its partners about what kind of policing model will define the Pacific’s future, warn Dr John Coyne and Raelene Lockhorst of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI).

OPINION: With research indicating that at least 12% of female respondents in intimate partner violence cases in Victoria are misidentified as perpetrators – and some organisations suggesting the figure, particularly for indigenous and migrant women, could be as high as 50% – Kavitha Vipulananda, author, speaker and reform consultant, sets out a range of reforms for police in Victoria and agencies more widely across Australia that could address the injustices based in systemic issues that are faced by vulnerable women.

ANALYSIS: In the latest in this series of articles exploring the links between sport and organised crime, Policing Insight’s Chris Dalby looks at the increasing efforts of drug cartels to infiltrate football as an opportunity to launder dirty money, set up illegal betting activity and extend their narcotics networks, amid warnings that ineffective existing ownership legislation has meant that in some cases the groundwork for cartel infiltration has already been laid.

INTERVIEW: The ‘Breaking The Monopoly’ movement is challenging the Police Act 1996 in England and Wales, with campaigners arguing that the current law grants the Police Federation of England & Wales a monopoly on police representation, hindering officers from establishing or joining other representative bodies; as the campaign seeks a declaration that the legislation violates the European Convention on Human Rights, Policing Insight’s Martin Buhagiar spoke to Greater Manchester Police PC Lee Broadbent, who is leading the charge.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: Salesforce and Humberside Police have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to pioneer AI-powered policing. This new partnership sets out a blueprint for how technology can ease resource pressures, improve citizen trust, and modernise frontline services.

INTERVIEW: In the first 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 Detective Chief Inspector James Fox and Sergeant Terry Mole of the Metropolitan Police Service about their work in building the force’s HeForShe allies network, developing the Signa discrimination database, and advocating for greater gender equality.

OPINION: In 2023 the Home Office and College of Policing launched draft national guidance for community scrutiny panels (CSPs), offering a framework for greater public oversight of policing across England and Wales; police ethics advisor Montell Neufville, Chair of a long-standing tri-force CSP for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire, looks at the work of his and other panels over recent years, and makes the case for the growing relevance of independent critical platforms in policing today.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: The ANZPAA Police Conference 2025 (PC25) will be held in Melbourne, Australia this November. Hosted by Police Commissioners from across Australia and New Zealand, the conference will centre around the theme “Policing for the Future: What Matters Most” - to Commissioners, frontline officers, and the communities they serve.

ANALYSIS: The 2025 edition of the European Union Terrorism Situation and Trend Report (EU TE-SAT) has highlighted the growing number of young people involved in terrorism, and the use of artificial intelligence, social media and gaming to target vulnerabilities such as mental health, isolation and digital addiction, while the impact of geopolitical developments in Russia, Syria and other parts of the African continent also pose a threat, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.