OPINION: Levels of violent crime across America saw an unprecedented increase in 2020, and remain worryingly high in 2021; in this latest essay from the Violence Reduction Project, born and bred city resident Voice of Chicago highlights the devastating impact of the increase in the number of murders, violence and gun crime has had on the city’s Black community, and what can be done to address the problem.

ANALYSIS: As part of its wider work on the impact of COVID-19 on the criminal justice system, criminal justice research and consultancy organisation Crest Advisory are currently exploring whether out-of-court disposals can reduce the numbers attending court and cut reoffending rates; but as Crest’s Head of Strategy and Insight, Danny Shaw, and Analyst Delene Adams explain the first phase of the project took an unexpected turn.

OPINION: The increased use of police body-worn cameras has been welcomed in many quarters as a route to improving transparency and accountability; but Bryce Newell, Assistant Professor of Media Law and Policy at the University of Oregon, fears that public records laws such as those prevalent in the US can lead to people’s most sensitive and traumatic moments being made available for public viewing.

FEATURE: Last month the FBI and Australian Federal Police, working with the US Drug Enforcement Administration, Europol and police forces in 15 other countries, carried out a series of raids causing major disruption to criminal networks worldwide, thanks to information secured through a police-developed phone encryption app that had become a favourite with criminals; Policing Insight’s Andy Staniforth looks at the incredible success of Operation Trojan Shield.

FEATURE: As the UK continues to experience record numbers of drug-related deaths, some forces have turned increasingly to drug diversion schemes to tackle drug use, alongside the traditional prohibition deterrent; Thames Valley’s successful Drug Diversion Scheme breaches some of the ‘red line’ guidance on out of court disposals, but Chief Inspector Jason Kew believes the benefits to individuals and the wider community justify the approach.

ANALYSIS: Levels of violent crime across America saw an unprecedented increase in 2020, and remain worryingly high in 2021; in this latest essay from the Violence Reduction Project, Professor Joel Caplan of Rutgers University School of Criminal Justice explains how using a data-informed approach to crime prevention which engages local communities can offer an effective alternative to focusing solely on law enforcement.

OPINION: There are calls from some quarters in Australia for the introduction of ‘negligent rape’, based on a ‘recklessness’ towards the consent of the victim, rather than deliberately disregarding the lack of consent; but Dr Rachael Burgin of Swinburne University of Technology, University of Sydney PhD student Bri Lee, and Professor Jonathan Crowe of Bond University argue that such a move would create a rape ‘hierarchy’ that is both wrong and offensive.

FEATURE: Originally launched as an anti-stalking pilot, Cheshire Constabulary’s Harm Reduction Unit now also applies its integrated multi-agency approach and psychological risk assessment of offenders to domestic abuse cases, as DS Dave Thomason and Consultant Forensic Psychologist Dan Price-Jones explained at the recent N8 Police Research Partnership Innovation Forum; Policing Insight Deputy Editor Sarah Gibbons reports.

ANALYSIS: Levels of violent crime across America saw an unprecedented increase in 2020, and remain worryingly high in 2021; in this latest essay from the Violence Reduction Project, Professors Richard Rosenfeld and David Klinger of the University of Missouri, St. Louis outline how tackling three key issues – subduing the pandemic, redoubling smart policing tactics and implementing police reform – could provide a three-pronged strategy for reducing violent crime.

OPINION: A recent UK cross-party report has called for major changes to the forthcoming Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, along with a warning that the police must not become the ‘enforcement agency of the state’; but with the report’s criticism of recent protest policing quickly rejected by some senior leaders, former chief superintendent Owen West believes the concerns over political interference in policing are falling on deaf ears.

ANALYSIS: A number of forces across the UK have introduced embedded mental health professionals to improve and support the police response to those in crisis, and perceptions of such initiatives have been positive; now a new study by the N8 Policing Research Partnership has formally evaluated the West Yorkshire Police project, with impressive results, as Policing Insight Editor Keith Potter reports.

FEATURE: When the Swedish Police launched a recruitment drive to employ more than 6,000 additional officers by 2022, the challenges included ‘no show’ applicants, unsuitable candidates and concerns over diversity; by adopting a data-driven approach to the issues, they have been able to adopt new ways of working that have improved the application process and kept them on track for their ambitious target, as Policing Insight Contributing Editor Tina Orr Munro reports. 

OPINION: While the potential evidential benefits of police body-worn cameras are increasingly clear, inconsistencies in their use and oversight threaten to limit their positive impact; Griffith University Lecturers Robyn Blewer and Ronald Behlau believe regulation leading to more effective, consistent use, coupled with independent oversight, is the way forward.

FREE SUBSCRIBER ACCESS: Policing Insight welcomes officers and staff from Western Australia Police Force, who now have FREE access with the start of new organisation wide subscription. They join a community of officers and staff from many police forces from the UK and around the world with an interest in progressive policing. Read on to find out how to use your FREE subscriber access.

FEATURES: A new report on the UK police response to domestic abuse during the coronavirus pandemic has praised forces for their proactive and innovative approaches, but voiced fresh concerns over the delays in cases coming to court, and the long-term impact of the significant level of cases discontinued, as Policing Insight Deputy Editor Sarah Gibbons reports.

OPINION: Levels of violent crime across America saw an unprecedented increase in 2020, and remain worryingly high in 2021; in this latest essay from the Violence Reduction Project, police officer Ari Maas argues that the Broken Windows approach employed so successfully on the New York subway in the 1980s by Transit Police Chief Bill Bratton has been wrongly conflated with zero tolerance and stop-and-frisk, leaving a successful crime fighting tool overlooked and dismissed by academics and others.

ANALYSIS: Crime on farms can have a damaging effect on both the lives and wellbeing of farmers and their families, and on the survival of farming businesses; now new approaches adopted by New South Wales Police to target such crimes, encourage reporting and support the rural community are having a positive impact, as Senior Lecturers Kyle Mulrooney and Alistair Harkness of the University of New England explain.

POLICING FRIENDSHIP TOUR: On a recent leg of his Policing Friendship Tour, Policing Insight Publisher Bernard Rix walked and talked with former West Mercia Chief Constable Paul West; from ‘flaws’ in the current model of police governance and a lack of diversity amongst police and crime commissioners, to abandoned force mergers and increased collaboration, the pair discussed some of the key policing issues as they strolled around the grounds of Hartlebury Castle.

OPINION: The recent inquest into the Fishmonger’s Hall terror attack highlighted missed opportunities into the investigation of terrorist Usman Khan, and prompted criticism of the police and security services for their failure to share information more effectively; Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth believes that, in the light of this inquest and other previous incidents, it’s now time to consider if the present UK counter-terrorism architecture is fit for purpose.

ANALYSIS: While COVID-19 created new challenges for policing globally, many of the key issues in play before the pandemic continue to pose major questions for law enforcement; Dr Victoria Herrington, Director Knowledge at the Australian Institute for Police Management, and ACC Jackie Sebire of Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire’s Joint Protective Services Command, believe a policing future which leans into complexity and embraces an expansive role is the way forward.

FEATURE: New Home Office-funded training in neurodivergence for cybercrime officers is helping them to ensure best evidential interview outcomes in investigations for victims, witnesses and suspects – and could now be rolled out more widely across policing, as Policing Insight Deputy Editor Sarah Gibbons reports.

FEATURE: The collaboration between the Australian Federal Police and FBI in using the AN0M app to break up organised crime networks has been hailed as a spectacular success; but Australian Strategic Policy Institute Dr Teagan Westendorf believes it’s important that the use of new police powers in such operations is transparent and fully understood, to maintain the public’s confidence and trust in law enforcement.

POLICING FRIENDSHIP TOUR: On the latest leg of his Policing Friendship Tour, Policing Insight Publisher Bernard Rix caught up with Chris Lewis, Policy and Research Officer for Warwickshire OPCC, to talk about efforts to improve support for the victims of crime – and especially those injured or killed in road traffic collisions – as well as his work with the National Association of Retired Police Officers.

OPINION: Levels of violent crime across America saw an unprecedented increase in 2020, and remain worryingly high in 2021; in this latest essay from the Violence Reduction Project, former FBI agent Donovan J Leighton explores the problems associated with tackling gun violence, and the challenges and successes of Operation Ceasefire in balancing prevention and enforcement.