Police management

OPINION: Levels of violent crime across America saw an unprecedented increase in 2020, and remain worryingly high in 2021; in this latest essay from the Violence Reduction Project, police officer Ari Maas argues that the Broken Windows approach employed so successfully on the New York subway in the 1980s by Transit Police Chief Bill Bratton has been wrongly conflated with zero tolerance and stop-and-frisk, leaving a successful crime fighting tool overlooked and dismissed by academics and others.

ANALYSIS: Crime on farms can have a damaging effect on both the lives and wellbeing of farmers and their families, and on the survival of farming businesses; now new approaches adopted by New South Wales Police to target such crimes, encourage reporting and support the rural community are having a positive impact, as Senior Lecturers Kyle Mulrooney and Alistair Harkness of the University of New England explain.

POLICING FRIENDSHIP TOUR: On a recent leg of his Policing Friendship Tour, Policing Insight Publisher Bernard Rix walked and talked with former West Mercia Chief Constable Paul West; from ‘flaws’ in the current model of police governance and a lack of diversity amongst police and crime commissioners, to abandoned force mergers and increased collaboration, the pair discussed some of the key policing issues as they strolled around the grounds of Hartlebury Castle.

OPINION: The recent inquest into the Fishmonger’s Hall terror attack highlighted missed opportunities into the investigation of terrorist Usman Khan, and prompted criticism of the police and security services for their failure to share information more effectively; Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth believes that, in the light of this inquest and other previous incidents, it’s now time to consider if the present UK counter-terrorism architecture is fit for purpose.

ANALYSIS: While COVID-19 created new challenges for policing globally, many of the key issues in play before the pandemic continue to pose major questions for law enforcement; Dr Victoria Herrington, Director Knowledge at the Australian Institute for Police Management, and ACC Jackie Sebire of Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire’s Joint Protective Services Command, believe a policing future which leans into complexity and embraces an expansive role is the way forward.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: Do you interview suspects, victims or witnesses as part of your role? Do you supervise those that do? Do you investigate crimes? Or are you just interested in investigative interviewing? Register to attend this free online conference, being held by the Police Science Dr and supported by Policing Insight, focusing on gathering evidence from victims, witnesses and suspects.

FEATURE: This month’s Cumberland Lodge Policing Conference explored the complex topic of law enforcement and reconciliation, including building trust with victims and survivors, improving openness and transparency, and the need to balance current policing demands with addressing historical injustices; PhD Researcher Peter Hersee highlights the key discussions, debates and messages from the Conference.

FEATURE: New Home Office-funded training in neurodivergence for cybercrime officers is helping them to ensure best evidential interview outcomes in investigations for victims, witnesses and suspects – and could now be rolled out more widely across policing, as Policing Insight Deputy Editor Sarah Gibbons reports.

ADVERTISEMENT INTERVIEW: With UK police preparing to handle rapidly growing volumes of digital, multichannel contact from the public, the benefits – both for citizens and forces – of installing integrated contact management and CRM platforms are increasingly obvious; Steve Norris, Police Market Director at Salesforce UK (a specified supplier under the recent framework) highlights the advantages of the latest contact technology in enabling forces to cope with demand and enhance the service to citizens.

OPINION: Levels of violent crime across America saw an unprecedented increase in 2020, and remain worryingly high in 2021; in this latest essay from the Violence Reduction Project, former FBI agent Donovan J Leighton explores the problems associated with tackling gun violence, and the challenges and successes of Operation Ceasefire in balancing prevention and enforcement.

FEATURE: The recent conflict between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas has heightened tensions and led to an increase in religious hatred far beyond the Middle East; Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth reports on initiatives across Europe to strengthen community cohesion and prevent extremists from launching successful attacks on and around places of worship.

OPINION: Consumer fraud is a high-volume and seemingly ever-growing area of crime, yet only 15% of frauds are reported to police each year; David Geere, Chris Oxborough and Esther Paterson of professional services firm PwC believe that better use of technology and increased co-operation and collaboration with the private sector are the key to tackling this complex and often international crime.

ANALYSIS: Hate crime can have a long-lasting and devastating effect on victims, but what about the impact on the wider community? New research by Monash University’s Researcher Chloe Keel, Prof Rebecca Wickes and lecturer Kathryn Benier found that ‘secondary exposure’ to hate crime could actually increase negative sentiments towards migrant groups and lead to more boundaries between sections of the community.

INSIGHT: Prosecution levels in rape cases nationally have been described as ‘pretty woeful’, and Avon and Somerset had one of the worst charging rates in England and Wales; Project Bluestone has seen the force working with leading academics to assess the problems and address the failings, an initiative which one senior officer said has put ‘fire in the belly of our investigators’, as Policing Insight Deputy Editor Sarah Gibbons reports.

Insight: As Operation Uplift continues to attract new recruits, many candidates appear confused about the process and have ill-conceived ideas of what attributes are required to be a successful police officer; former Deputy Chief Constable Alan Baldwin explains how the service and outside agencies can help promote and hone key skills to ensure appropriate representation from diverse communities.

Queen's Birthday Honours: We are pleased to publish and recognise the policing and criminal justice recipients of the Queen's Birthday Honours in Australia and New Zealand. The team at Policing Insight offer our congratulations and thank all the recipients for their incredible service protecting the public, supporting victims, minimising reoffending and reducing crime.

OPINION: Levels of violent crime across America saw an unprecedented increase in 2020, and remain worryingly high in 2021; in this latest essay from the Violence Reduction Project, Elliott Averett, a former Seattle Police officer and JD candidate at Georgetown University, explains why rioting, lack of support from political leadership, and the threat of defunding and layoffs are driving good police officers to quit.

Queen's Birthday Honours: We are pleased to publish and recognise the UK policing and criminal justice recipients of the Queen's Birthday Honours. The team at Policing Insight offer our congratulations and thank all the recipients for their incredible service protecting the public, supporting victims, minimising reoffending and reducing crime.

Policing Friendship Tour: Policing overseas, recruiting for a fairly unusual role, and the daily challenges of running a small but unique force were among the topics discussed by Port of Bristol Police Chief Officer Jeff Foreman and Policing Insight Publisher Bernard Rix, as Bernard embarked on the latest leg of his Policing Friendship Tour.

FEATURE: The UK Government recently published draft guidance on the new Serious Violence Duty, which introduces a legal requirement for police and public sector agencies to collaborate on measures to reduce violence: Mark Cooper, Director of Greymalkin Consulting, looks at what the new Duty will entail, important learning from the introduction of violence reduction units, and what steps agencies should be taking to prepare for the changes.

FEATURE: Giving victims a voice, the power of the press and politicians, and learning lessons to prevent future harm will be among the topics covered at this year’s Cumberland Lodge Police Conference; Hertfordshire PCC David Lloyd, a member of the conference steering committee, outlines some of the key issues around the themes of law enforcement and reconciliation that will be explored during the two-day online event.

OPINION: Modernisation and digital transformation are at the heart of creating a police service capable of protecting communities against future threats; policing adviser and former deputy chief constable Paul Kennedy, and James Cottam of IT recruitment specialists Futures, believe the key to delivering the fast, versatile and responsive transformation required is through a hybrid, collaborative approach to building teams with the necessary skills and expertise.

INNOVATION: With the national police recruitment uplift programme well underway, and many forces also looking to recruit additional officers on top of those identified by the Government, Hayley Wallis, Recruitment Marketing Lead at Lancashire Police, explains how the implementation of a flexible communications platform at the organisation has helped to drive recruitment.

OPINION: While new technology offers huge advances for policing, the public focus is often on the associated risks of over-reach (real or perceived) and the impact on human rights, and Facial Recognition Technology (FRT) is no different; but Dr Craig Jones of Stats NZ believes the New Zealand Police approach to FRT – committing to transparency and accountability, and addressing concerns through open conversation – can help to maintain public trust and deliver real benefits.