Police management

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.

With so much on our plates, it is very tempting to dive straight into action, rather than taking a few minutes to scan the horizon. Jonathan Rees, who works with bluelight services, offers some guidance on the benefits of seeing the bigger picture.

Analysis: The new Strategic Principles for Police ICT make good common sense, and are hard to argue against.  We can all agree on the importance of interoperability, good management of data, user-friendliness, and the ability to switch across different platforms.  Efficiency, effectiveness; a rounded view of value for money; future proofing: what’s not to like? Yet the principles also present challenges, and following them will not be straightforward, explains former Greater Manchester Police ACC Ian Wiggett.

Analysis: The recently-published ICT Strategy, drawn up by the National Police Technology Council (NPTC), contains 26 principles designed to guide forces through their approach to ICT. But, when 43 police forces in England and Wales have 2,000 separate ICT systems, can it succeed?

Analysis: Positive information-sharing protocols, closer working relationships with all partners and strong effective leadership are key tackling Child Sexual Exploitation, explains Mark Cooper of GreyMalkin Consulting.

ANALYSIS: The latest PEEL report highlights the complex and significant pressures that policing is under, and acknowledges the difficult decisions that policing has to make. But is HMICFRS really becoming part of the solution, or is the Inspectorate still part of the problem? Policing Insight's Editor Carina O’Reilly analyses the report.

NEW REPORT: Body-worn video has seen huge growth in UK policing with millions of pounds spent on equipment and back office systems. CoPaCC's latest thematic looks at the development of police body-worn video and provides a guide to the key opportunities and challenges in terms of the technology, implementation and use

ANALYSIS: A recent study of the police’s use of data has found that UK police forces had access to a vast amount of digital data, but lacked the technological capability to use it effectively. Alexander Babuta of the Royal United Services Institute explores the opportunities presented by big data policing technologies, and the organisational barriers that must be overcome to make effective use of them.

OPINION: The Angiolini Review examining deaths and serious incident in police custody was published this week. Police Inspector Michael Brown, author of Mental Health Cop Blog, explores the issues raised by the report.

INTERVIEW: The Police Now programme was first introduced in 2015 and has already trained nearly 400 new graduates to become neighbourhood police officers. This financial year it was awarded £3.5m from the Police Transformation Fund. Programme Director Kurtis Christoforides tells Policing Insight what’s next for the organisation.

Analysis: The launch of HMICFRS’s consultation earlier this month on the long-awaited force management statements sets out its ambition to use them as the basis for a new, risk-based form of inspection. But what will this mean for forces – and HMICFRS? Mark Cooper takes a closer look.

ANALYSIS: There is increasing anecdotal evidence that, for serving officers, morale is as low as it's ever been. But what evidence is there to back this up? Serving officer Gareth Stubbs shows that, for officers who joined at the height of recruitment, promotion opportunities have plummeted even as demand is growing - and warns this is a looming problem that needs to be addressed.

Opinion: Allan Fairley, MD, Accenture Police Services explores the issues surrounding the lack of joined up data in the criminal justice system. 

INSIGHT: In the second of a series of articles, Jonathan Rees, owner of Momoho and an expert in developing high-performing teams in the bluelight sector, examines different ways to prioritise your workload.

ANALYSIS: Former Greater Manchester Police ACC Ian Wiggett and Gavin Hales, Associate Fellow at The Police Foundation review the impact of the pre-charge bail reforms implemented in the Policing and Crime Act in April 2017

LONG READ: The experience of terrorist attacks in the US and in Germany shows us how important it is for police and security agencies to share systems. But what can we learn from those countries that have begun the process of harmonising police ICT? In this Long Read,Hans-Jürg Käser of the Swiss Canton of Berne explores what European countries have done towards consolidating police systems and what can be learned.

INSIGHT: Oliver Gower, Deputy Director of the NCA’s National Cyber Crime Unit warns cybercrime is escalating, its impact on victims is significant and the time is right for forces to ready themselves to meet the threat.