Regulatory/inspection agencies

Opinion: Police recruitment methods have failed to deliver on diversity. With 20,000 new police officers about to join the service, Chartered Psychologist Dr Pete Jones, who specialises in implicit bias around recruitment selection and assessment, warns the service not to squander this 'once in a generation' opportunity to get it right.

analysis: Policing Insight contributor Andrew Staniforth lays out the opportunities that the Horizon 2020 European research fund presents for policing and urges Chief Officers and PCCs to seize their chance to apply for millions of euros of funding before the Brexit deadline of the 31 October.

Analysis: Following the recent announcement that a pilot which makes section 60 stop and searches easier will be extended to a further 8,000 police officers, policing commentator Ben Twomey argues the 'three pillars' of effectiveness, disproportionality and transparency still sit at the heart of good practice.

Opinion: The MPS is the first force to be issued an Enforcement Notice under the Data Protection Act 2018 but, warns Owen Sayers, an enterprise architect, privacy and security specialist with thirty years' experience in the CJS, it is unlikely to be the last. Here he examines Enforcement Notices in detail outlining what they mean for all police forces.

ANALYSIS: When most people are preoccupied with thoughts of summer holidays, there is change afoot in the world of PCCs and fire governance. Briefly thwarted by judicial reviews, both West Mercia and Cambridgeshire PCC can now make progress but, as Catherine Levin explains, it won’t be a smooth ride for either of them.

Opinion: The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) is working with the MPS to clear a large backlog of requests for personal information after the force was issued with two Enforcement Notices for failing to respond within the allotted time. ICO Director of Data Protection Complaints and Compliance Suzanne Gordon offers practical advice to ensure forces meet their data protection obligations.

INSIGHT: In July, Policing Insight broke the story that Lincolnshire Chief Constable Bill Skelly had begun judicial review proceedings against the College of Policing’s degree entry scheme for new police officers. As the scheme has taken shape, Policing Insight has published many articles from different stakeholders on the proposals. Here is a selection of those articles.

ANALYSIS: The latest in our Report Watch series summarises the findings of a briefing paper published by the End Violence Against Women Coalition (July 2019) which conducted research into 42 Police and Crime Plans to examine the response of Police and Crime Commissioners in England and Wales towards violence against women and girls.

INTERVIEW: Police trials of Automated Facial Recognition (AFR) may be controversial, but they have recently received support from the Home Secretary. Surveillance Camera Commissioner Tony Porter explains to Policing Insight the challenge of understanding AFR accuracy and the dangers of ‘surveillance creep’ impacting upon civil liberties.

ANALYSIS: The latest in our Report Watch series summarises the findings of 'The Poor Relation - The police and CPS response to crimes against older people' which examines the response to older people who studies have shown are more likely to fear being the victims of crime than people in other age groups.

insight: The phrase “80% of what the police do has nothing to do with fighting crime” is often bandied about, but where does it come from and is it accurate? Statistic Regulator for the Office for Statistics Regulation Lewis Jack discusses the OSR's review of the value of police statistics in promoting public understanding of policing.

ANALYSIS: With Lincolnshire Police beginning a Judicial Review against the College of Policing, the controversy over the new police entry routes, the PEQF, shows no sign of abating. Dr Emma Williams and Jack Chapman (research assistant) of Canterbury Christ Church University examine the operational readiness of forces for the new qualification requirements.

Analysis: The Independent Terrorism Legislation Reviewer faces increasingly complex terrorist threats, from home-grown extremists to the full scale of international terrorism. Policing Insight Contributor Andrew Staniforth looks at the history of the role and the demands the new Independent Reviewer will face, especially as they relate to policing.

ANALYSIS: The latest in our Report Watch series summarises the findings of the State of Policing report by HMCIC Sir Thomas Winsor which gives an overview of the current situation in policing in England and Wales.

Opinion: The police and MI5 are independent of each other but often collaborate closely especially on counter-terrorism. Policing Insight contributor Andrew Staniforth outlines the repercussions that MI5's recent breach of data security law will have for the police service.

OPINION: Surveillance cameras are part of the security landscape in the UK, but as the technology has been miniaturised, new types of cameras have emerged. Prof. William Webster of the University of Stirling argues that all of us need to take part in the debate as to where regulators should draw a line in the sand.

opinion: With the Police and Crime Commissioner elections set for 2020, Dr Steve Watts draws on research and his own experience as a PCC candidate to question the democratic legitimacy of PCCs and the obstacles independent candidates face when running for office.

FREE ACCESS: Policing Insight welcomes officers and staff from Merseyside Police, who now have FREE access to Policing Insight with the start of a new organisation wide subscription. Policing Insight is now available FREE to officers and staff in many UK forces and in other police and criminal justice organisations - read on to find out how to use your FREE subscriber access.

analysis: While the introduction of Police and Crime Commissioners has brought benefits to policing such as greater accountability, research carried out by Dr Steve Watts has revealed significant concerns among chief constables that the power imbalance between PCCs and chiefs threatens the operational delivery of policing.

FREE ACCESS: Policing Insight welcomes officers and staff from Police Scotland who now have FREE access to Policing Insight with the start of a new organisation wide subscription. Policing Insight is now available FREE to officers and staff in many UK forces and other police and criminal justice organisations - read on to find out how to use your FREE subscriber access.

Analysis: Continuing our series on the implications of the Data Protection Act 2018, Owen Sayers, an enterprise architect, privacy and security specialist with thirty years' experience in the CJS explains the principles of Part 3 of the Act and how they impact law enforcement.

Opinion: Following an initial inspection of 14 forces as part of the PEEL Inspection process for 2018/19, HM Inspector of Constabulary Matt Parr says the cracks are starting to appear in policing. But, none of HMICFRS’ concerns are new, suggesting the cracks are already there - they are just getting wider.

Analysis: There have been nine reports and reviews of forensic science over the past decade, highlighting numerous problems. The latest House of Lord's report has described the quality and delivery of forensic provision as "inadequate". Keith Potter explores the ongoing issues facing this sector and what needs to change.

Interview: EXCLUSIVE: The former Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation Lord Carlile of Berriew QC CBE explains to Policing Insight the challenges of delivering Prevent, defining Islamophobia, preserving peace in Northern Ireland, and what to do about Shamima Begum.