Regulatory/inspection agencies

ANALYSIS: The latest in our Report Watch series summarises the findings of the fourth report by HMICFRS which is an update on the police response to domestic abuse (February 2019). We look at key points for policing as well as stakeholder and media reactions.

Analysis: Former GMP Assistant Chief Constable and now CoPaCC Director Ian Wiggett considers the thorny subject of improving productivity in policing and suggests that part of the answer may be ‘hidden in plain sight’

Analysis: Decision Scientist Lee Curley's research takes a closer look at the effect Scotland's unique, but controversial 'third' verdict of not proven has on jurors.

INSIGHT: The College of Policing states officers and staff reporting concerns about a colleague should be fully supported through the process, but for one individual who ‘blew the whistle’ the reality was very different. Here is their story.

FREE ACCESS: Policing Insight welcomes officers and staff from Lancashire Constabulary and West Mercia Police as subscribers to Policing Insight. They now have FREE access to Policing Insight with the start of new organisation wide subscriptions for the two forces. Policing Insight is also available FREE to officers and staff in many UK forces and in other police and criminal justice organisations with an organisation wide subscription - read on to find out how to use your FREE subscriber access.

ANALYSIS: The latest in our Report Watch series, summarises the findings of a report by HMICFRS’ Policing and Mental Health Report, Picking Up the Pieces, published last month (Nov 27). We look at the impact on policing, recommendations as well as stakeholder and media reactions.

OPINION: The latest crime figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) offer a grim outlook on the state of criminal justice in England and Wales. Almost as if to head off criticism, the bulletin starts: “Over recent decades, we’ve seen continued falls in overall levels of crime but in the last year the trend has […]

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

ANALYSIS: The latest in our Report Watch series, which summarises the findings of reports that impact policing and includes responses from the main stakeholders as well as media reaction, takes a look at the Home Affairs Select Committee (HASC) Ninth Report Session 2017-19 on Domestic Abuse published on October 22.

OPINION: Alan Beckley was a police officer in the UK for 30 years, before moving to Australia to teach and conduct research on policing and law enforcement, most recently as a Research Fellow at Western Sydney University. In this, the first of a regular series of articles for Policing Insight, he provides an Australian perspective on the Home Affairs Select Committee's recent report, "Policing for the Future".

ANALYSIS: The latest in our Report Watch series, which summarises the findings of reports that impact policing and includes responses from the main stakeholders as well as media reaction, takes a look at the Scottish Police Authority’s report, Police Scotland Digital, Data & ICT (DDICT) Outline Business Case (OBC) published on September 27.

ANALYSIS: The latest in our Report Watch series, which summarises the findings of reports that impact policing and includes responses from the main stakeholders as well as media reaction, takes a look at HMICFRS’ Joint Inspection of the Handling of Cases Involving Disability Hate Crime and HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate, published this month (October 18).

ANALYSIS: There are growing financial and operational pressures on policing. Senior figures are calling for a new vision, but as the president of the PSA said earlier this month, there is a void at the centre - and no prospect of a Royal Commission to provide answers. The service can, however, start preparing options now. The themes that come up time and again are structure, accountability frameworks, and workforce. What is the service’s own future vision for these?

OPINION: With the College of Policing's Continuing Professional Development week coming up in November, Rich Honess of Canterbury Christ Church University surveys the landscape of policing CPD, and asks what police officers would really like to see provided - and how.

INSIGHT: A recent National Police Chiefs Council report highlighted a severe shortage in applicants for the role of chief constable. One of the reasons cited was lack of job security given Police and Crime Commissioners' power to remove chiefs. Dr Mark Roycroft's book 'Police Chiefs in the UK: Politicians, HR Managers or Cops?' explores the complex relationship between PCCs and Chiefs.

INSIGHT: The latest in our SPOTLIGHT ON series focuses on the barriers to chief constable recruitment. Following the issuing of a statement by the National Police Chiefs Council, the College of Policing and Association of Police and Crime Commissioners on the challenge of chief officer recruitment, we revisit a range of expert articles that explore the subject in more depth.

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 in other police and criminal justice organisations - read on to find out how to use your FREE subscriber access.

ANALYSIS: Yesterday's National Audit Office report on policing was damning on the Home Office's failure to understand the impact of budget cuts on the financial sustainability of police forces. Rick Muir of The Police Foundation examines the report's findings and the need for a clear national strategy on policing.

OPINION: The latest National Audit Office report released this week adds to the evidence that policing is in crisis. Former Chief Superintendent John Sutherland warns that the lack of a national vision for policing is punishing the very people holding policing together.

OPINION: Rich Honess is a former frontline officer now teaching on the in-service degree at Canterbury Christ Church University. As such, he gets asked questions, particularly about degree-level entry to the police service. Here, Rich tries to summarise some of the answers to the questions he's been asked.

ANALYSIS: With the use of automated facial recognition technology under challenge, video surveillance specialist Cloudview asked leading cyberlaw academic Professor Andrew Charlesworth to assess the regulatory position. His report concludes that an independent review is the only way forward if the technology is to be used without alienating the public.

SPOTLIGHT ON: Policing Insight has over a thousand in depth articles on a wide range of policing issues. In our SPOTLIGHT ON series we group articles under one subject heading allowing you quick and easy reference when you need it. Here, we tackle spit guards or hoods which have recently returned to the spotlight following the MPS' decision not to issue them to frontline officers.

Opinion: In October 2017, Sherry Ralph, COO for the Independent Custody Visiting Association highlighted the problem of custody suites routinely failing women experiencing their period. Fast forward ten months and the Home Office has just released consultation on revising PACE Codes C and H to ensure women are treated with dignity. IVCA Chief Executive Katie Kempen explains why the changes are vital.

ANALYSIS: The latest in our Report Watch series, which summarises the findings of reports that impact policing and includes responses from the main stakeholders as well as media reaction, takes a look at HMICFRS's Understanding the difference - The initial response to hate crime, published in July.