Police management

ANALYSIS: CoPaCC's thematic report 'Police ICT: User perspectives' revealed users had similar perceptions of their ICT, but there were wide variations in terms of levels of satisfaction. Ian Wiggett takes a closer look at the findings of the survey to discover why. 

ANALYSIS: Police targets have been the subject of considerable criticism, not least for their unintended consequences. Alex Sutherland of RAND Europe and Matthew Davies explore the case of first time entrants to the youth justice system.

Analysis: The police use of social media has seen a massive surge in recent years and has given forces, teams and individuals the opportunity to engage with their local communities and beyond in a way never before experienced. It hasn’t always been been a smooth road and there have been some complications engendered by the open and public nature of the medium, says Cheshire Police's Neil Dewson-Smyth who looks at how forces can improve their performance.

ANALYSIS: The latest CoPaCC thematic report 'Police ICT: User perspectives' was published recently. The report provides a unique insight into the views of the frontline on the provision of ICT in their force, based on CoPaCC's national survey. Bernard Rix, CoPaCC Chief Executive, takes a look at user responses to Question 2 (of eleven).

ANALYSIS: The Police Foundation's in-depth, five year exploration of local policing, Police Effectiveness in a Changing World, has recently come to an end. Here, Andy Higgins of the Foundation explores the key themes that have emerged from the study.

OPINION: The effects of austerity mean that the pace of innovation in policing may be slowing - but the demand for it is not. In the first of a series, serving officer Gareth Stubbs looks at technology in policing, and argues that innovation isn't a luxury, but a necessity, and one that requires real investment.

ANALYSIS: Despite the widely acknowledged benefits of working in cross-force collaborations, there remain many obstacles to effective collaborative endeavours between forces. Dr Xavier L”Hoiry of Sheffield University explores the obstacles and proposes ways of overcoming them.

ANALYSIS: The latest CoPaCC thematic report 'Police ICT: User perspectives' was published recently. Following a survey of police officers from 44 police forces, the report provides a unique insight into the views of the frontline on the provision of ICT in their force. Bernard Rix, CoPaCC Chief Executive, takes a look at user responses to Question 1 of the survey, and identifies some potential "quick wins" for forces and suppliers.

LONG READ: Has the pendulum swung too far towards leadership in policing at the expense of management? Serving officer Jim Gale argues that it has, and that this presents real long-term reputational and strategic risks to the service.

ANALYSIS: The recent NCA report on County Lines highlighted the disturbing trend of children being targeted to work for drugs' gangs. In the second of two articles, highlighting those children most at risk and the work underway to tackle the problem, Tina Orr-Munro interviews Andy Passingham and Paul Maslin, co-founders of www.safeguardinghub.com and experienced police officers specialising in safeguarding.

INSIGHT: Recording footage is the easy step, what comes next is much harder. All that data must be securely stored and managed – that's where digital asset and evidence management systems come into play. In this article from the CoPaCC thematic report 'Body-worn Video in Policing', Stephen Roberts looks at how police forces are meeting the challenge.

ANALYSIS: Body-worn video is one of the most significant emerging technologies in policing, but robust analysis of its effects has been limited. Elizabeth Linos, Joanne Reinhard, Simon Ruda and Michael Sanders of the Behavioural Insights Team report the results of a large-scale randomised control trial in one UK police force.

ANALYSIS: The recent National Crime Agency report on County Lines highlighted the disturbing trend of children being targeted to work for drugs' gangs. In the first of two articles, examining the nature of County Lines, Tina Orr-Munro interviews Andy Passingham and Paul Maslin, co-founders of www.safeguardinghub.com and experienced police officers specialising in safeguarding.

Opinion: Smart data analysis technology has existed for many years so why haven't forces made the most of it? Clare Elford, Managing Director of Clue which provides investigative software, explores the challenges faced by forces and offers a solution.

OPINION: Last week, @WeCops hosted a Twitter chat on how austerity had affected policing. Serving officer Gareth Stubbs discusses the responses and what it tells us about the state of policing, and the need for police organisations to take trauma and wellbeing seriously.

ANALYSIS: Report Watch summarises the main findings of reports that impact on policing and includes responses from the main stakeholders and media reaction. Here we take a look at HMICFRS' report on police air support which raises serious concerns regarding the ability of National Police Air Support to deliver a consistent service to forces.

NEW REPORT: The latest CoPaCC thematic report 'Police ICT: User perspectives' is published today. Following a survey of police officers from 44 police forces, the report provides a unique insight into the views of the frontline on the provision of ICT in their force. The results and feedback from end users are required reading for police managers, buyers and suppliers.

ANALYSIS: In the fourth 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 an increasingly exclusive club of forces intending to take on fire governance.

ANALYSIS: Recent figures from the ONS suggest that almost two million adults experienced some form of domestic abuse last year. But does this still under-estimate the problem? Dr Hannah Bows of Durham University explores the problems with recording - and supporting victims - of domestic violence.

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 the Office of National Statistics report on Domestic Abuse in England and Wales, which draws on a range of data and examines the prevalence of domestic abuse as well as the CJS response. For the first time, the report includes information on victim services.

INSIGHT: Many forces want the benefits of BWV, yet procurement is not a simple process. Each department has specific needs that must be met in terms of quality, cost, storage and future-proofing – one size does not fit all. In this article from the CoPaCC thematic report 'Body-worn Video in Policing', Graham Jarvis looks at the technology considerations.

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 the Scottish Police Federation's Personal Protective Equipment Survey 2017.

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 Big Brother Watch's report on Police Access to Digital Evidence which examines the effectiveness of current legislation on investigating digital data and levels of police training.

Analysis: Dr Sarah Charman spent four years researching new police recruits. Her findings, published in Police Socialisation, Identity and Culture: Becoming Blue, examines the influences on and changing attitudes of new police recruits at the most formative stage in their career and the implications this has for policing.