Police forces

FEATURE: Faced with further austerity measures, Bedfordshire Police rejected another morale-sapping restructure and turned instead to management consultants PwC; Sarah Gibbons reports on how the resulting award-winning approach has led to performance improvement, £7m of reinvested savings and a legacy for the long term.

Feature: In the wake of the recent terrorist attack in France and British travellers to the country being warned another attack is highly likely, Policing Insight contributor Andrew Staniforth discusses how France is seeking to combat this very real threat.

OPINION: The coronavirus pandemic has affected all areas of society, and in turn, all facets of policing. In the first in a series of articles linked to this month's Policing in the Time of Pandemic workshops organised by the London Policing College, former officer and current police trainer Martin Edwards shares his experiences of delivering police education in the COVID-19 era.

ANALYSIS: In their second of two articles marking the centenary of the Baird Committee Report, which recommended that women should be employed as sworn police officers across England and Wales, Dr Wendy Laverick and Professor Peter Joyce look at the role of women of women in policing since the 1980s to today – including discrimination, the Gender Agenda and contemporary thinking.

OPINION: Police in many countries have been given extraordinary powers to enforce lockdowns and tackle COVID-19; but as Dr John Coyne, Head of Strategic Policing and Law Enforcement Program at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) points out, applying those powers could seriously erode the public’s trust in policing.

Analysis: Jamie Clinch, a former Masters student in Forensic Psychology, discusses the findings of research she conducted into the effectiveness of alcohol-related violence intervention programmes as part of a collaboration between Coventry University and West Midlands Police.

ANALYSIS: This year marks the centenary of the Baird Committee Report, which recommended that women should be employed as sworn police officers across England and Wales. In the first of two articles, Dr Wendy Laverick and Professor Peter Joyce present a historical account of the involvement of women in policing, the barriers and obstacles they faced, and the current and future situation regarding equality of opportunity.

FEATURE: The tragic shooting of Met Police Sgt Matt Ratana last month once again highlighted the horrific impact of the illegal trade in unlicensed firearms; Policing Insight contributor Andy Staniforth looks at at the latest trends in firearms trafficking, and the steps being taken across Europe to stem the flow of weapons.

FEATURE: The International Crime Coordination Centre was set up to lead UK policing’s fight against transnational crime, through Brexit and beyond; Policing Insight Contributing Editor Tina Orr Munro talks to ICCC Head, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Richard Martin, about the Centre’s work to date, the threat from globalised criminality, and the challenge of making the investigation of international crime ‘business as usual’.

INTERVIEW: Dubai Police recently became the first force to win seven IACP awards in one year, recognised for its work in areas ranging from forensics and research to victims’ services and highway safety. Policing Insight spoke to Dubai Police Commander-in-Chief, Lieutenant General Abdullah Khalifa Al Marri, about the force’s success, its efforts to tackle challenges such as COVID-19 and transnational crime, and how high-tech and happiness are crucial elements of the force's long-term strategy.

ANALYSIS: The Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Bill, published in April, aims to consolidate existing hate crime legislation, as well as introducing new offences and abolishing blasphemy. Kath Murray, Lucy Hunter Blackburn and Lisa Mackenzie of the MurrayBlackburnMackenzie Policy Analysis Collective analyse and explain police responses to the new bill and its wide-ranging ramifications.

OPINION: While there are undoubtedly resource and technology costs attached to the police use of social media, the contribution it can make to the delivery of policing in both physical and digital spaces needs to be understood and acknowledged, says Dr Liam Ralph, Research Fellow at Northumbria University.

OPINION: Monash University Emeritus Professor Jude McCulloch believes that a bill being considered by Australia's Victorian Parliament as part of legislation to tackle COVID-19 would provide police and other ‘authorised officers’ with unprecedented, extraordinary powers, and rely too heavily on a punitive approach to controlling the coronavirus, with limited checks and balances.

ANALYSIS: Persistent poverty and profound trauma are increasingly being recognised and addressed by police and crime commissioners in their attempts to divert young adults away from the criminal justice system, according to a new review by the Revolving Doors Agency; but alongside the emerging good practice, there are still gaps in support and areas for improvement.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: Data is now at the heart of every investigation, but as well as offering opportunity to improve the service for victims of crime, it can also hinder it. In this article, Boyd Mulvey, CEO and Founder of Chorus, talks about the data challenges currently facing law enforcement and how Chorus believe they have developed a new Intelligence Suite to help overcome them.

OPINION: Adrian Timberlake, chief technical officer at Seven Technologies Group, explains how facial recognition could help to reduce bias and protect innocent members of the public, while ensuring the guilty are brought to justice.

OPINION: The widespread availability of E-scooters on the roads of British towns and cities is causing increasing controversy and producing polarised reactions. Charlie Norman of DriveTech examines the issues for policing that E-scooters present.

ANALYSIS: Once a desirable career move, the shortage of police detectives in UK policing reflects the long hours, stress, and complex nature of the job; but it’s a shortage that must be addressed fully and quickly, explains former senior detective Dr Graham Hill, of the University of Leeds School of Law.

ANALYSIS: Noise pollution concerns and complaints in relation to police helicopters are mounting, but while drones are seen as an attractive and effective alternative they have their limitations, as Policing Insight contributor Andrew Staniforth explains.

UCL COVID-19 SERIES: In this latest article from the UCL Jill Dando Institute series on COVID-19, Jason Roach from the University of Huddersfield and Ken Pease from Derby University examine self-selection policing (SSP) during the pandemic and how successful this style of policing response has been at detecting and identifying offenders.

FEATURE: Policing Insight's Sarah Gibbons looks at the latest UK police dog discipline – the canine digital device detection team – and explores their success in retrieving evidence in cases ranging from child abuse and county lines drugs to murder and terrorism, both at home and abroad.

ANALYSIS: The latest assessment of the new Single Online Home platform shows the digital contact channel has eased the pressure on police resources while speeding up the service to the public, and redirecting thousands of enquiries to more appropriate agencies, writes Keith Potter

OPINION: It's time for a proactive approach to frontline health, welfare, skills and career support, believes Mightify CEO Tom Wheelhouse – and investing in action rather than awareness and discussion will bring huge rewards.

ANALYSIS: Mobile CCTV surveillance has recently appeared in public spaces in Melbourne, as part of a joint initiative between councils, Victoria Police and the Commonwealth Government to target those breaking lockdown rules; Professor Rick Sarre asks whether such moves are legal, effective and acceptable.