Police forces

POLICING FRIENDSHIP TOUR: Former Lancashire Chief Constable Andy Rhodes, now Service Director of Oscar Kilo, is “passionate” about providing support for officers and staff, and believes the new Police Covenant will improve welfare for those in policing from the moment they join the job until retirement and beyond, as he explained to Policing Insight Publisher Bernard Rix on a recent leg of the Policing Friendship Tour.

INNOVATION: A recent high-profile European police operation successfully dismantled a multi-million pound organised crime group (OCG), with Europol taking a lead role in the cyber skills needed to gather and share vital information and evidence; but as Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth reports, new tools and techniques are urgently required if lawful interception methods are to continue to play a part in combatting the encrypted communications of OCGs.

FEATURE: With a Law Commission review of hate crime to be published shortly, and all forces in England and Wales now due to record misogyny as a hate crime, steps are well underway to tackle a key driver of violence against women and girls; Nottinghamshire was the first force in the UK to adopt such an approach, and Susannah Fish, the force’s Deputy Chief Constable at the time, explains what prompted the move, the success of the scheme, and her hopes that a national rollout will make life safer for women and girls.

ANALYSIS: Policing globally has been at the forefront of encouraging and in many cases enforcing compliance with pandemic lockdowns and legislation – a role which has often brought officers into direct confrontation with COVID-19 conspiracy theorists; Policing and Emergency Management Lecturer Dr Nick Evans of the University of Tasmania looks at the challenges presented by conspiracy theories, and what (if anything) policing could and should do to counteract them.

FEATURE: Latest research on the wellbeing of frontline Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers found that more than three-quarters were experiencing high stress during the second round of the pandemic; but as Policing Insight Editor Keith Potter reports, it was policing culture, the political atmosphere and the lack of resources – rather than the job itself – which were the most stressful factors, even during COVID-19.

FEATURE: The latest report from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and Europol on the global cocaine trade highlights the significant surge in both supply and profits, along with a concerning increase in violence; Policing Insight’s Chris Allen looks at the latest trends highlighted by the research, and the implications for efforts to tackle the global drugs market going forwards.

POLICING FRIENDSHIP TOUR: Cleveland Police and Crime Commissioner Steve Turner believes officers were almost ashamed of admitting where they worked, after the force faced a series of challenges, controversies and critical inspections; now he’s determined to put pride back into the county’s policing, as he explained to Policing Insight Publisher Bernard Rix on a recent leg of the Policing Friendship Tour.

OPINION: A recent College of Policing report on workplace adjustments enabling officers and staff with disability and neurodiversity issues to make the best possible contribution to policing has highlighted significant improvements over recent years; but as Detective Inspector Jamie Mills, Chair of Essex Police Disability and Carers network explains, the report also underlines that there is much more to be done – and chief officer commitment is crucial.

OPINION: The wide-ranging debate about responses to violence against women in Australia has included proposals for all women police stations; but researchers Dr Amanda Porter (University of Melbourne), journalist Ann Deslandes, Dr Crystal McKinnon (RMIT University) and Dr Marlene Longbottom (University of Wollongong) believe such a move is likely to be ineffective in addressing the real issues, particularly for females in Indigenous communities.

FEATURE: The Divert out-of-court disposal scheme has seen a significant drop in reoffending rates among criminals in Cleveland by addressing underlying needs such as drug and alcohol abuse and mental health issues, and its success is now attracting interest from a number of other forces and agencies, as Policing Insight Deputy Editor Sarah Gibbons reports.

FEATURE: With police legitimacy being challenged and examined more than ever, the law enforcement use of technology and data is also coming under close scrutiny; information and intelligence management expert Giles Herdale, and former NPCC ethics lead Dave Lewis, look at some of the key debates around these issues, which were up for discussion at the recent Chartered Institute of Information Security (CIISec) live event.

ANALYSIS: Police, politicians and the public have become accustomed to hearing and using the phrase ‘the war on drugs’, but it’s a battle based largely on punitive measures which is far from being won; Dr Matthew Bacon of the University of Sheffield interviewed a number of serving officers for his latest research on drugs policing, and found that for many, their experience in the job has changed their attitude towards criminalising drug users.

FEATURE: Continuing a new series of The Police Student, Policing Insight Academic Editor Dr Carina O’Reilly takes a closer look at the key debates concerning police culture and identity, and explores issues around police legitimacy, the problems of machismo and racial prejudice, whether officers are born or made, and the crucial role current students have to play in the evolution of modern policing culture.

POLICE SUPERS CONFERENCE 2021: With mental health referrals increasing across the police service post-Covid, the need for a system that fully supports officers and staff mental wellbeing has never been more urgent. Policing Insight Contributing Editor Tina Orr Munro reports from the Police Superintendents’ Association Conference on the impact of Covid, and what forces can do to improve their employees’ mental health.

ANALYSIS: Recent upward trends in the size of the police workforce are welcome, but bring potential issues to be addressed down the line; in the latest in his series examining workforce changes, Ian Wiggett flags up how new training needs will emerge, why development opportunities are unlikely to keep pace with demand and ambitions – and that it really is true, officers are, indeed, getting younger.

FEATURE: In the wake of the 9/11 attacks on New York, the city invested hugely in technology to keep communities safe; but as Policing Insight contributor Gareth Bryon reports, the use of such surveillance and identification tools to target minor crimes and activists is prompting public concern, and could become a key debate in the city’s approaching mayoral election.

OPINION: There are conflicting views over whether proposed amendments to South African law, which would reduce the number of licensed firearms and rule out the acquisition of a firearm for self-defence, will have the desired effect on gun crime in the country; but criminologist and lecturer Dr Guy Lamb of Stellenbosch University argues that the legislation changes are an important element in the efforts of the Government and police to keep guns out of the hands of criminals.

Insight: Multiple and conflicting factors shaped the ways police officers thought about their work during the height of the COVID-19 crisis. UK researchers concluded that organisational climate was at the heart of these processes and officers may be more likely to maintain appropriate standards of policing and feel less stress if they are well supported by employers. Dr Arabella Kyprianides reports on the research conducted with Professor Ben Bradford, Professor Clifford Stott and Dr Leanne Savigar-Shaw.

Feature: Urgent changes need to be implemented to fraud investigations to improve the level of service to victims, according to HMICFRS. Policing Insight Deputy Editor Sarah Gibbons looks at the recommendations to make this area of crime a higher priority.

Police Supers Conference 2021: Whilst the number of Black, Minority and Ethnic officers joining the police service is improving, the number in senior positions remains low at 4.3 per cent. This year’s Police Superintendents' Association Conference explored how representation in the senior ranks could be improved and how things might be about to change. Tina Orr Munro reports.

FEATURE: Efforts to deliver a better response to domestic abuse in Hertfordshire by strengthening partnerships, engaging survivors and adopting technology, have led to falling victim attrition rates and increased take up of support; Razi Hassan, Director of Partnership and Communication at the Domestic Abuse (DA) Alliance, explains the thinking behind the repurposed approach, and the success of the WEPROTECT app now in use by Hertfordshire Constabulary.

Interview: Transferring into An Garda Síochána from Toronto Police, Deputy Commissioner Shawna Coxon wondered how she would be received as 'an outsider' implementing their reform programme. She needn't have worried. Here she tells Policing Insight's Deputy Editor Sarah Gibbons about the warm welcome she's received, her frustrations at COVID restrictions limiting her walks on the beat and how the culturally rich policing style has her smitten.

OPINION: Amid the furore to call a halt to Dame Cressida Dick's time at the helm of the Metropolitan Police, the Government and - crucially - the rank and file respect and support her leadership style and believe she remains the right person for the job with no obvious successor yet identified. Former BBC Home Affairs correspondent Danny Shaw examines some of the reasons why the Commissioner's contract has, indeed, been extended.

FEATURE: The 9/11 terrorist attacks on New York’s World Trade Centre caused a devastating loss of life as well as having a huge impact on businesses and the city’s federal purse; 20 years on, Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth looks at the long-term impact of 9/11 – both physical and financial – and the legacy of a ‘War on Terror’ which is far from won.