OPINION: South Africa’s Defence Minister recently lamented the low levels of public trust in policing; research by Dr Benjamin Roberts and Dr Steven Gordon of the Human Sciences Research Council found that while a lack of confidence in policing is nothing new, levels dipped in 2021, and suggest steps such as increasing policing accountability, reducing the militaristic police ethos and promoting competent and ethical leadership will need to be taken to restore that confidence.

ANALYSIS: The recent controversies around ‘shameful’ behaviour and policing failings in the Metropolitan Police Service have prompted a wider debate about policing culture and identity across UK forces; in this article Professor Simon Robinson and Dr Jonathan Smith argue the need for policing to establish a clearer professional identity, with the lead taken nationally rather than left to be addressed by individual forces.

ANALYSIS: Despite travel restrictions imposed during Covid – and with the war in Ukraine now sparking a refugee exodus – criminal networks smuggling people into Europe increased their activity in 2021 after several years of declining figures, according to the latest Europol Migrant Smuggling Centre Report; Policing Insight’s Chris Allen looks at the report and highlights its key findings.

ANALYSIS: The New York Police Department and Mayor of New York, Eric Adams, are caught on the horns of a dilemma – how to tackle the city’s spiralling gun crime while controlling the community resentment created by years of overzealous law enforcement; Policing Insight contributors Gareth Bryon and Dr Dorothy Moses Schulz explore the strategies that Mr Adams and NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell will use to re-balance public safety concerns.

FEATURE: Police forces around the world have established special weapons and tactics (SWAT) units to tackle some of the most dangerous and demanding situations; the recent international UAE SWAT Challenge in Dubai gave forces the opportunity to test their skills, share experiences and exchange best practice, as Dr Jorge Román of Dubai Police explains.

ANALYSIS: The recent State of Policing report presented by HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary Sir Tom Winsor was his last in the role; Policing Insight’s Ian Wiggett looks back at what has changed during his decade in post, and what will need to change moving forwards to secure the strategic improvements in UK policing that both the police and public are looking for.

ANALYSIS: A recent operation backed by Europol and Eurojust saw police arrest more than 100 organised crime suspects in Latvia and Lithuania, and close down a scam call centre operation generating millions of euros; Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth looks at the operation itself, and how European collaborations are playing a vital role in tackling financial crime and large-scale money laundering.

FEATURE: A new report from the House of Lords Justice and Home Affairs Committee has called for more governance and scrutiny of technology in the UK justice system, amid concerns that the lack of standards and transparency over the police use of artificial intelligence threatens human rights and civil liberties, as Policing Insight’s Keith Potter 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 Steve Hone, former National Crime Agency (NCA) Regional Manager for North America, Canada and the Caribbean and now an independent serious and organised crime consultant, about Afghanistan, targeting crack, and the importance of covert human intelligence sources.

OPINION: Forensic science is often overlooked as a niche part of policing, but after six months as the new National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) Forensic Lead, Chief Constable Nick Dean argues that forensics is vital for enabling crime investigation and prevention, and sets out a raft of changes which could help policing restore public trust.

OPINION: To mark World Autism Acceptance Week, South Wales Police Superintendent Marc Attwell breaks down some of the common myths around autism, and explains how being autistic has helped him in his policing career.

INNOVATION: Artificial intelligence, automation and machine learning offer significant opportunities for improving performance in policing; but in this first in a series of articles from Emerging Tech in Policing Week, Matthew Cheesman, Technology Consulting Manager for Accenture, argues that the key to their successful adoption and implementation will be ethics, transparency and governance.

OPINION: HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary in Scotland, Gill Imery QPM, leaves her post tomorrow (1 April) after four years leading HMICS; Mrs Emery, who will be succeeded by Craig Naylor (currently Deputy Director of Investigations at the National Crime Agency), shared her reflections on the challenges and achievements for the Inspectorate and Police Scotland during a tumultuous period of policing globally.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: The European Police Congress will be taking place this year on 11 and 12 May. It will be even broader and more international than in previous years. The event is now to take place in hub27 on the Berlin exhibition grounds.

ANALYSIS: As the conflict in Ukraine continues, so too does the pressure to ensure that international crimes committed during the Russian invasion are fully investigated and prosecuted; Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth looks at the steps being taken by EU states to establish the collaboration and co-operation needed to respond to such crimes, and the role law enforcement is likely to play in bringing people to justice.

ANALYSIS: Officers of the Nigeria Police Force are considering industrial action to protest against the lack of funding, low salaries and poor working conditions they face; Dr Lanre Ikuteyijo, Senior Lecturer at Obafemi Awolowo University and a police affairs expert, explains the implications of the strike, and how Nigeria can improve the welfare of its police officers.

FEATURE: Five years after the Westminster Bridge attack in which PC Keith Palmer and four members of the public died, a new review by Lord Toby Harris into London’s preparedness and ability to respond to potential terror attacks has found “very substantial progress” – but warns against complacency, and highlights the damaging impact of austerity and funding cuts on counter-terror policing and wider partnership networks, as Policing Insight’s Keith Potter reports.

FEATURE: The burden of mental health callouts on police across New Zealand could be significantly reduced if a multi-agency response model that has proven successful during trials in Wellington is approved – and funded – for use across all Police districts, as Ellen Brook of the New Zealand Police Association explains.

INTERVIEW: A new early intervention system adopted by Dallas PD can highlight those officers who need more support and training to improve their performance; Deputy Chief Catrina Shead spoke to Policing Insight’s Christine Townsend about the system, as well as current recruitment challenges, and why experience and observation are as important as education.

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 Sir Jon Murphy, Professor of Advanced Policing Studies at Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) and former Chief Constable of Merseyside Police about the untapped academic resource in fighting organised crime, targeting criminal communications, and the challenges of technological change.

ANALYSIS: With the heightened global focus on legitimacy and professional standards within policing, a new report by Manhattan Institute Adjunct Fellow Dorothy Moses Schulz explores the issues around rogue ‘wandering cops’, including the recruitment pressures on police departments, efforts to make decertification easier and introduce more widespread licensing, and the need for clear language in any future legislation.

INTERVIEW: Once a hotbed of 1970s counterculture, Austin in Texas has a reputation as a progressive, fast-changing city, with all the policing challenges that a modern urban environment brings; Policing Insight’s Christine Townsend spoke to Austin Police Department Chief Joseph Chacon about meeting those challenges – including recruitment, community safety and racial inequality – and his own style of leadership.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: Super Recognisers are humans with an amazing ability to remember faces and recall names. All law enforcement agencies have such people – they just need to be found, trained in tactics and used to identify more suspects or missing persons in a systematic manner. Former Met Police DCI Mike Neville, now CEO of Super Recognisers International Ltd, explains how this untapped resource can help turn the tide of low detection rates within police forces.

OPINION: With public trust and confidence in UK policing currently a widely debated topic, Peter Edge, former SIO and Head of Training for Merseyside Police, looks at the importance of recognising and retaining both explicit and tacit knowledge within policing, and how addressing the issue effectively can help to strengthen the relationship with the public.