Police forces

OPINION: In the wake of the ongoing debate over new police entry routes and the Police Educational Qualification Framework, Emma Williams of Canterbury Christ Church University argues that knowledge in policing needs to be recognised as reflexive, and police education as a two-way process.

ANALYSIS: Body-worn video cameras (BWC) are increasingly standard issue in British police forces, with a range of potential benefits. Stuart Lister of the University of Leeds outlines findings from recent research into the use of BWCs in domestic abuse incidents - and how the benefits of BWCs may be limited by organisational constraints.

ANALYSIS: One year on from the launch of the Policing Insight series looking at PCCs and fire governance, Catherine Levin finds that the road to fire governance is fraught with obstacles and these will likely discourage other PCCs from following any time soon.

Analysis: Mental health researcher and practitioner Dr Jane McGregor is currently writing a book on coping with stress in the emergency services. Her interviews with police officers reveal problems of morale, overwork and high stress which mean many are considering quitting the service. 

OPINION: Business Lead for Digital Policing for West Yorkshire Police Chief Inspector Ian Williams explores his force's digital transformation and what a difference the right application can make to frontline policing.

Opinion: Giles Herdale, co-chair of the Independent Digital Ethics Panel for Policing (IDEPP), explains the importance of ethics in digital policing and the role of the panel in ensuring forces factor ethics into their digital policing programmes from the outset.

OPINION: Though recorded crime has fallen over the last decade, demand is rising, and policing vulnerability is the order of the day. Serving officer Martin Gallagher argues that the focus has shifted too far: police need to take a step back from these multiple demands and focus on traditional police work.

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OPINION: The will to share data in policing exists, but the mechanisms to do so remain unwieldy. Boyd Mulvey, CEO of Chorus Intelligence, argues that removing the barriers demonstrates what can be achieved and will encourage greater sharing.

INSIGHT: Our new series, exclusive to Policing Insight, examines the impact of cyber-crime on UK policing. In the first of three articles, CEO and co-founder of Cyber Security Intelligence Alfred Rolington explores the '4th Industrial Revolution' and the factors leading to the emergence of cyber-crime.

ANALYSIS: Report Watch summarises the main findings of reports that impact on policing and includes responses from the main stakeholders as well as media reaction. Here we take a look at HMICFRS's State of Policing report which is HMCIC Sir Thomas Winsor's assessment of the current effectiveness and efficiency of policing based on the Peel Inspections carried out last year.

OPINION: Following on from his presentation at this year's Modernising Justice Conference on unpacking Greater Manchester Police's mobile revolution, Chief Superintendent Phil Davies, Director of GMP's Information Services Transformation, shares the lessons learnt from the process.

ANALYSIS: Organised crime has been glamourised by fictional portrayals, and many people don't believe it affects their daily life. However, real-life organised crime flourishes in vulnerable, fractured communities. Dr Niall Hamilton-Smith of the University of Stirling explores the reality of organised crime in Scotland.

OPINION: Given the pressures police forces are under, Greater Manchester Police responded to the bombing of the Manchester Arena last May remarkably well. A year on, 100 officers and staff are still employed on the case. Former GMP ACC Ian Wiggett takes a closer look at the force and the fire service's response and the potential lessons learnt.

OPINION: The strain on police efficiencies is greater than ever, with one of its key contributory factors - siloed data - potentially costing police officers up to 28 days of productivity a year. Coeus Software’s CEO Simon Hall explores the effect of this and how the latest cloud and mobile technology developments, changing software procurement practices and wider digitisation in policing can help the frontline.

OPINION: Rural policing faces a perfect storm of under-funding and specialised demand. Richard Perkins, regional director at NICE Public Safety, argues that forces need to embrace digital solutions to address these challenges.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: Join other senior leaders from across UK policing and blue light organisations in London for a free and exclusive innovation summit, hosted by Idea Drop and The Met Police, designed to connect, inspire and showcase the best innovation projects and initiatives that are shaping the future of UK blue light services.

ANALYSIS: The proposed absorption of British Transport Police into Police Scotland appears to be steaming ahead regardless of unresolved problems, deep opposition from BTP officers, and ever-increasing reputational risks. Independent researcher Dr Kath Murray and Dr Colin Atkinson of the University of the West of Scotland explain the ongoing issues.

NEWS: The Police and Crime Commissioner of Dorset Police has officially announced at the CoPaCC Police Governance Summit, that Dorset Police and Devon and Cornwall Police are set to merge into a single force by May 2020 when the next Police and Crime Commissioner elections are due to take place. 

ANALYSIS: More than three quarters of shop theft and burglaries are carried out by drug-addicted offenders - but many existing sanctions like short-term prison sentences have little effect. Rory Geoghegan, Head of Criminal Justice for the Centre for Social Justice, calls for a new two-year 'Second Chance' programme in a new report, Desperate for a Fix.

Analysis: The National Speed Awareness Course is offered by nearly all police forces in England and Wales and provides eligible offending drivers with a short course of retraining as an alternative to punishment for low-level speeding offences, but does it work? Researcher Sarah Heseltine takes a look at the findings of the DfT's recent evaluation.

OPINION: Ahead of the inaugural Police Governance Summit this week, one of our conference contributors, Ann Reeder, CEO of Frontline Consulting Associates which leads a national project with Police and Crime Panels and the new Police, Fire and Crime Panels, examines the role of PCPs and the challenges ahead.

Interview: As Rob Wainwright leaves his post as director of Europol to take up a new role with Deloitte, he tells Policing Insight how better intelligence sharing has changed the face of cross- border counter-terror and child sexual exploitation investigations and how it could do the same for financial crime.

Interview: Vanessa Soames, Graduate Recruitment Director, at Police Now, has spent nearly 18 years working in student recruitment. She joined Police Now two years ago, where she developed a new recruitment campaign to attract diverse graduates into policing, especially graduates who would never have thought of joining the police. She tells Policing Insight about the campaign and why the Police Service needs it.