Conservative Party GE2017 manifesto: References to policing
NEWS: Our "quick turnaround" first look at the police and policing references in the Conservative Party's manifesto for the June 2017 General Election
Politics
Spit Guards: The evidence
ANALYSIS: Questioned at this week's Police Federation conference about spit guards, the Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott stated she was still "looking at the research, and coming to a considered view". Dr Matt Ashby, a former police officer and now lecturer in criminology at Nottingham Trent University, looks at the evidence currently available.
PCC in focus: Gloucestershire PCC Martin Surl on his second term in office
View from the top
Opinion: In our continuing series, Policing Insight talks to Gloucestershire Police and Crime Commissioner Martin Surl about his achievements and the challenges he faces as he completes the first year of his second term in office.
General Election 2017: What can we expect from the parties’ manifestos?
OPINION: Ahead of manifesto launches and the Police Federation conference this week, Policing Insight editor Carina O'Reilly (also a Labour councillor) takes a look at what we can expect from the parties on policing – and whether what they promise matters.
PCC in focus: Derbyshire PCC Hardyal Dhindsa looks back on his first year in office
View from the top
Interview: As the end of their first year in office approaches, Policing Insight talks to Police and Crime Commissioners about their successes and challenges. In our continuing series, Derbyshire PCC Hardyal Dhindsa reflects on the last 12 months in post.
Predictive policing: The Holy Grail of police efficiency, or a series of opaque algorithms threatening individual and community rights?
Analysis: With the ever-present pressures on police resources and the need for chiefs and forces to be doing as much (if not more) with less, the appeal of data analytics and predictive policing is stronger than ever.
Important, perceptive, but naïve: Sir Tom Winsor and The State of Policing in England and Wales
ANALYSIS: The latest HMIC report, The State of Policing in England and Wales, was overshadowed by a row about the traumatic experiences suffered by uniformed officers. However, the report is an important one, addressing key issues around demand, resourcing and mental health. Carina O'Reilly, editor of Policing Insight, assesses the report.
PCC in focus: PCC Marc Jones looks back on his first year in office
View from the top
Interview: As the end of their first year in office approaches, Policing Insight talks to Police and Crime Commissioners about their successes and challenges. In the first of a new series, Lincolnshire PCC Marc Jones reflects on the last 12 months in post.
A world-leading, national integrated communications network
Exclusive: The Minister for Policing and the Fire Service, responds to a recent article in Policing Insight critical of the Emergency Services Network. Brandon Lewis MP explains why the government is working to move from the TETRA radio communications system, known as Airwave, currently in use by the police, ambulance and fire and rescue service, to a national integrated network using 4G Long Term Evolution mobile technology
Stuck in a hole: Austerity and measuring police performance
ANALYSIS: Following the recent critical reports on police effectiveness from Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC), Warwick Business School Professor Kevin Morrell analyses how the pressures of austerity have affected both what the police can do and what HMIC can measure.
Three PEEL-like problems with HMIC: Time to inspect the Inspectors?
OPINION: CoPaCC Chief Executive Bernard Rix takes a look at HMIC's approach to police inspections. He asks whether it's time for Parliament and the public to see how HMIC measures up against the very same Efficiency, Effectiveness and Legitimacy standards it applies in its own inspections of police forces.
The right tools for the job: Listening to the public and rolling out Taser
OPINION: Taser has been a hot topic in recent weeks, with surveys suggesting that both police officers and the public want to see more Tasers on the streets. Steve White of the Police Federation argues that more open public engagement is needed - as well as sufficient resources - to make sure officers get the kit they need.
A change in the political weather? Police Scotland’s new ten year strategy
ANALYSIS: The Scottish Police Authority and Police Scotland have set out their strategy for policing in Scotland over the next ten years - Policing 2026. Independent researcher Kath Murray analyses the strategy and what it really means in the long term for policing in Scotland.
Can a new multi-million pound health, liaison and diversion service break the cycle of re-offending?
Analysis: Greater Manchester Police and Crime Commissioner and NHS England's new £15m jointly-commissioned service to support vulnerable detainees and reduce re-offending is the first of its kind and is already attracting considerable interest, but can it deliver on its promises?
British policing: The best in the world, but further cuts could put the public at risk
OPINION: Earlier this week, HMIC assessed Durham Constabulary the highest overall classification, "outstanding", in their national assessment of police effectiveness. Durham PCC Ron Hogg provides his personal perspective on the Inspection.
Empowering PCCs taking on fire governance and the duty to collaborate
OPINION: With the Police and Crime Act 2017 receiving Royal Assent and the new statutory duty for the emergency services to collaborate coming into force in April, the Minister of State for Policing and the Fire Service hails the opportunities for the fire and rescue services to develop closer and stronger partnerships with policing
The start of the race to become the first Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner
View from the top
Interview: The Essex Police and Crime Commissioner is leading the race to become the first Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner. Catherine Levin asks Roger Hirst about the urgency, benefits and costs of taking on responsibility for Essex County Fire and Rescue Service (ECFRS)
The National Cyber Security Centre: The new operational nerve centre at the heart of UK cyber security
ANALYSIS: Her Majesty The Queen last week opened the operational nerve centre known as the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) to manage cyber incidents. Michael Shuff, Marketing Lead at PA Consulting's specialist cyber security arm, 7Safe, takes a look at the NCSC's role.
Question Two for the ‘Policing for the Future’ Inquiry: The role of technology in policing
ANALYSIS: The Home Affairs Select Committee has recently launched an inquiry into policing for the future, examining changing demands and new challenges. In the first of two articles for Policing Insight, crime expert and author Tom Gash suggests the Committee needs to focus their attention on cybercrime.
The first of two key questions for the ‘Policing for the Future’ Inquiry: The role of the police in reducing cybercrime
ANALYSIS: The Home Affairs Select Committee has recently launched an inquiry into policing for the future, examining changing demands and new challenges. In the first of two articles for Policing Insight, crime expert and author Tom Gash suggests the Committee needs to focus their attention on cybercrime.
Police funding: Plenty in reserve?
Analysis: In 2015, the National Audit Office revealed forces were sitting on nearly £2bn in reserves sparking media outrage. Two years on and it is a very different story. Policing Insight reports on how forces are using their reserves to secure their finances and fund their futures.