Police forces

FREE ACCESS: Policing Insight welcomes officers and staff from the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) and from Suffolk Constabulary, who now have FREE access to Policing Insight with the start of new organisation wide subscriptions. Policing Insight is now available FREE to officers and staff in many UK forces and in other police and criminal justice organisations - read on to find out how to use your FREE subscriber access.

World Class Policing Awards: From missing people to reducing offending to fulfilling potential in the work place and fast-tracking detectives –  Policing Insight is delighted to publish a series of six weekly articles highlighting the 54 finalists for the inaugural World Class Policing Awards. We present the first nine in alphabetical order.

Opinion: Home Secretary Priti Patel recently announced section 60 Stop and Search powers would be relaxed to make the process quicker and more effective. Stop and Search Lead and Chair of Bedfordshire Community Scrutiny Panel Montell Neufville questions this approach along with other 'myths' surrounding stop and search.

INTERVIEW: As terrorists continue to hijack social media to recruit and spread propaganda, cyber terrorism expert Professor Stuart Macdonald tells Policing Insight how terrorists are exploiting smaller platforms and the continuing challenges social media companies face in removing online terrorist content.

Interview: In the first of an exclusive two-part interview, newly-retired Bedfordshire Chief Constable Jon Boutcher tells Policing Insight why race has to be a priority for policing and why, as a 28-year career detective, he’s backing direct entry detective schemes.

insight: UK police forces are unable to access the European Commission's Internal Security Fund - Police (ISF-P) which promotes safety and security in the EU, but Policing Insight contributor Andrew Staniforth explains there are other ways for forces to be involved in its vital work.

Announcement: Following rigorous judging of over 100 UK and overseas entries to the inaugural World Class Policing Awards, the shortlist of nominations has now been finalised! See if your force has made the final cut.

NEWS: All forces in England and Wales have received national guidance on the menopause after 44% of female officers surveyed revealed they considered quitting because of their symptoms. The move follows considerable efforts by many including the Menopause Doctor Dr Louise Newson who highlighted the importance of this issue for the service in her March 2018 interview with Policing Insight.

analysis: Cybersecurity is one of the most important cross-national issues in the EU, with essential services at risk if it fails. Policing Insight contributor Andrew Staniforth says this is why effective and coordinated responses between EU member states are necessary - before and after Brexit.

analysis: In the second of five papers on Police and Crime Panels, Dr Roy Bailey explores their structure and organisation alongside a range of challenges including the impact of high panel member turnover, poor attendance, limited training and restricted funding.

Opinion: Current and newly-retired officers will be able to gain a BSc (Hons) in Policing Studies after completing a one-year 'top-up course' at the University of East London. Director of Policing at the UEL's Centre of Professional Policing (CoPP) and former police officer Dr Sarah Jane Fox explains why it is important that, as the new degree entry scheme comes into being, 'no-one gets left behind'.

Innovation: As part of a campaign to raise awareness around vulnerability, Northumbria Police conducted a social experiment to see how many people would stop and help a man apparently suffering early onset Alzheimer's. Northumbria Police's Engagement Advisor Jemma Woolley and Ch Insp Steve Wykes speak to Policing Insight about why the force took this approach.

insight: As the largest ever haul of heroin is seized in the UK this week, Policing Insight's Keith Potter reports on Deputy Director Investigations at the National Crime Agency Matt Horne's Police Governance Summit presentation on the continuing threat of serious organised crime, hostile states and the importance of a collaborative approach to catching organised criminal groups.

ANALYSIS: The latest in our Report Watch series summarises the findings of a joint inspection by HMICFRS and HMICS into the arrangements surrounding how chief officers are selected and developed.

Opinion: CoPaCC Director Dr Steve Watts attends the National Policing Summit in Melbourne, Australia on behalf of Policing Insight and discovers that while good policing is the same the world over in protecting communities, Australia is taking an innovative approach to some familiar issues.

INNOVATION: West Yorkshire Police's imaging team has developed an innovative approach to blending 3D laser scanning with CCTV imaging that has led to a raft of convictions. Mike Skicko from Leica Geosystems, which supplied the technology, explains how the process works.

Opinion: Police recruitment methods have failed to deliver on diversity. With 20,000 new police officers about to join the service, Chartered Psychologist Dr Pete Jones, who specialises in implicit bias around recruitment selection and assessment, warns the service not to squander this 'once in a generation' opportunity to get it right.

INSIGHT: EXCLUSIVE: Kent's Chief Constable Alan Pughsley discusses his decision to issue Tasers to all police officers in the county - including, in a national first, to Special Constables, the first of whom are already undergoing training.

Comment: The number of potential trafficking and modern slavery victims reported to UK authorities last year rose by 36 per cent, according to National Crime Agency figures. Policing Insight contributor Andrew Staniforth argues that with new trends emerging we must work closely with other European agencies to tackle the problem at all points in the process: origin, transit and destination country.

Interview: As the N8 Policing Research Partnership celebrates its fifth anniversary, Director Professor Adam Crawford explains to Policing Insight the key successes of co-produced research with police officers, and outlines the challenges that lie ahead for sustaining collaborative police and academic research partnerships.

OPINION: Dissatisfaction with Police ICT is back in the news after Greater Manchester Police officers and staff voiced concerns about a major new system rolled out by the force. Former Greater Manchester Police ACC Ian Wiggett examines the challenges inherent in implementing a new police ICT system revealing that, regardless of the system, the grass isn't necessarily greener in other forces.

Analysis: Sopra Steria's Principal Consultant Benjamyn Damazer warns that Windows 7 is not fit for the demands of modern policing. Its more recent successor - Windows 10 - might meet policing requirements, but only if it is properly implemented.

New Series: In the first of five papers, Dr Roy Bailey explores how the appointments process for Police and Crime Panels has created panels that do not represent the communities they serve or ensure all candidates have the adequate knowledge and experience to fulfil their role.

OPINION: The expansion of the policing task in recent decades has seen the police become the service of first resort for many social ills. Serving officer Martin Gallagher warns this is damaging police capacity, and calls for a retrenchment of policing away from issues of social cohesion to focus instead on crime.