Police forces

INSIGHT: Civil Aviation Authority certification is a necessity for commercial drone use. Gary Mason looks into the steps towards gaining these qualifications and what the test actually involves

ANALYSIS: Following the RUSI's publication of a paper on police use of data, Former GMP Assistant Chief Constable Ian Wiggett explores its potential applications and limitations. 

INTERVIEW: Last month, Suzy Lamplugh Trust, which runs the National Stalking Helpline, secured £4.1m from the Police Transformation Fund, via the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC), to carry out pioneering work with perpetrators of stalking. Tina Orr-Munro speaks to Chief Executive Rachel Griffin about how the project will work.

OPINION: Amid growing demand on policing, how can forces manage the flood of offenders arrested for viewing child abuse material? Nick Alston, Chair of Anglia Ruskin University's Policing Institute for the Eastern Region (PIER), outlines a major conference in November that seeks to find new approaches to investigations and prevention.

ANALYSIS: The latest of a monthly series in which CoPaCC's Sandra Andrews takes a look at some of the most interesting and topical issues that Police and Crime Panels across England and Wales are dealing with. This month, Sandra looks at the use of artificial intelligence, and Durham Constabulary's development of the Harm Assessment Risk Tool (HART).

Insight: West Midlands Police launched Operation Close Pass last year to combat the problem of drivers driving too close to cyclists when overtaking them. A year on, the force has seen a 20 per cent drop in cyclists killed or seriously injured, but, as Policing Insight discovered, it has resulted in other unforeseen benefits.

Opinion: Sherry Ralph, Chief Operating Officer for the Independent Custody Visiting Association (ICVA) looks at how some custody suites are failing to cater for women experiencing their period and suggests ways to overcome this.

OPINION: Why should police leaders look abroad for lessons in police oversight? Dr Brian Moss of Coventry University outlines the advantages of examining other systems and what leaders in the UK could learn.

INTERVIEW: The video-enabled justice project, awarded £11m in Police Transformation Funding, will allow people to give evidence via a network of high-tech video links in police stations and other buildings across London and the South East. Tina Orr-Munro speaks to Project lead Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne and explores the benefits of VEJ and the advantages of having a PCC at the helm of such an ambitious initiative.

Analysis: With the media reporting sharp rises in the number of abandoned 999 calls, former Assistant Chief Constable of GMP Ian Wiggett examines the causes and argues the issue is symptomatic of much wider problems in the call handling and response system.

ANALYSIS: Should the proposed BTP merger with Police Scotland be put on hold? Calls for a delay have increased since a draft HMICS report described the decision to merge the forces as 'entirely political'. Kath Murray looks at the evidence.

ANALYSIS: In the third of a series of special articles examining the progress of Police and Crime Commissioners as they assume joint governance over police and fire services in their areas, Catherine Levin reports on a process losing momentum in the face of obstacles both political and practical.

INTERVIEW: As individual forces explore the ways in which they can use drones in everyday policing, Gary Mason talks to Russell Woolford, Assistant Operations Director with the National Police Air Service (NPAS) about the role to be played by the organisation, which currently manages helicopter and fixed‑wing aircraft fleet across England and Wales

Opinion: Cleveland Police has become the first force to buy in Sopra Steria's Predikt, a web-based police resource and demand modelling  tool. Kathryn Howe, head of public sector marketing for Sopra Steria, explains how PrediKt takes the guesswork out of predicting demand on the service.

OPINION: Police Scotland's Chief Constable, Phil Gormley, was temporarily suspended last week in more bad news for the force. Nick McKerrell of Glasgow Caledonian University looks at the institutional malaise at the heart of Police Scotland and asks if the issues of leadership and accountability are likely to be resolved.

Opinion: Unauthorised traveller encampments are a challenging issue for most areas. In a co-authored article, West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson and Lead Policy Officer Ben Twomey argue that transit sites may offer a solution. 

INTERVIEW: Gary Mason talks with National Police Chiefs' Council lead Steve Barry about current and future plans for drone use, the legislative challenges to be overcome, and the problems surrounding governance

Opinion: In 2014, Staffordshire Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Ellis first commissioned a report into incidents police attended that involved someone with a mental illness. Three years on and Staffordshire has made considerable strides in reducing the number of those suffering mental ill health in custody, but there is still much to be done.

Interview: David Lloyd, Police and Crime Commissioner for Hertfordshire, has been elected as the Chair of the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC).  He tells Syreeta Lund what his plans are for the organisation.

ANALYSIS: The problem of silos between agencies in police work is well known - but what about silos within policing? A recent @wecops debate asked how silos formed and what could be done to overcome them. Former GMP ACC Ian Wiggett and Emma Williams of Canterbury Christ Church University summarise the discussion.

ANALYSIS: Previous understandings of crowds have treated their behaviour as if it is contagious. Analysing the English riots of 2011, Dr John Drury of Sussex University argues that the spread of rioting was based more on an anti-police identity and a feeling of power after a weak police response to initial unrest.

POLICING INSIGHT EXCLUSIVE: In the third of our exclusive extracts from "Police Chiefs in the UK: Politicians, HR Managers or Cops?" Dr Mark Roycroft, Senior Lecturer in Criminology at the University of East London, asks chiefs and crime commissioners for their views on the controversial issue of regionalisation, alliances and mergers.

ANALYSIS: The chief constables of Dorset Police and Devon & Cornwall Police have announced plans to explore further collaboration and closer working between the two forces including the possibility of a full merger. Ian Wiggett looks at what has changed since the failed force mergers plan of 2005

EXCLUSIVE SURVEY ANALYSIS: Many forces are just beginning to explore the potential and possibilities of police drone operations. The latest CoPaCC Thematic Report "Drones in Policing" surveyed drone use by UK police forces. Tina Orr-Munro analyses the results showing the extent of current capabilities and how they are being deployed