Analysis: With digital crime accounting for nearly half of all crime, police officers and staff need the right skills to tackle it. As Reform publishes its latest report - Bobbies on the Net - one of its authors, Reform Researcher Emilie Sundorph, examines the changes required to make forces fit to fight digital crime.

ANALYSIS: The recent trend in crime figures appears to be heading downwards, but police forces are under more pressure than ever before. Sam Langton of Manchester Metropolitan University calls for increased collaboration between forces and academia to get more realistic estimations of the demands that police face.

EXCLUSIVE: ‘Bedrock of policing’ is regularly used as a descriptor for neighbourhood or community policing but its current parlous state would suggest that perhaps it isn’t really as cherished as some would have us believe. Humberside PCC Keith Hunter makes the case for neighbourhood policing to regain its position in policing priorities.

OPINION: Is policing going in the right direction? Do we even know, let alone agree, what direction policing is heading? Serving officer Nathan Constable and Emma Williams of Canterbury Christ Church University debate whether policing is on 'the Bus to Abilene'.

OPINION: Former Greater Manchester Police ACC, Ian Wiggett gives his view on the latest developments in police and fire governance and the newly re-branded HMICFRS expanded role to take in fire.

OPINION: The @wecops chat on Wednesday 19th July looked at the controversial Police Educational Qualifications Framework (PEQF), focusing on Recognition of Prior Experience and Learning. It was led by Emma Williams of Canterbury Christ Church University, serving frontline officer Dan Reynolds, and the College of Policing. Dan and Emma recount the debate.

ANALYSIS: 'Excited delirium' is increasingly used to describe those presenting as violent and unmanageable who often end up in police custody. David Baker of Coventry University explores whether the term is a convenient fiction or a useful shorthand for a dangerous set of symptoms.

INSIGHT: HMIC becomes HMICFRS - Catherine Levin looks beyond the ungainly acronym to what this means for the newly expanded organisation and reviews reaction from police, fire and local government.

OPINION: Academic collaborations with police are becoming more common - but much academic work on policing is still written in language that is inaccessible and difficult to understand. Martin Holleran of York St John University calls for universities to reach out and consider the wider impact of their work.

OPINION: The High Court recently issued a judgment with significant implications for the power of Police and Crime Commissioners to suspend (and potentially dismiss) Chief Constables. The Police Foundation's Director, Dr Rick Muir, considers the evidence.

Opinion: Victims of repeated harassment or stalking are frequently let down by under-recording, inconsistent services and a lack of understanding by the criminal justice system, according to a recent report published by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) and Her Majesty’s Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI). Rachel Griffin, Chief Executive of the Suzy Lamplugh Trust calls for better awareness within the criminal justice system.

Analysis: The Scottish Police Authority was established four years ago to oversee the newly-formed Police Scotland, but, in that time, the authority has faced intense criticism. Former President of the Association of Scottish Police Superintendents Niven Rennie takes a closer look at the problems the Authority has faced.

OPINION: Recent weeks have seen the Scottish Police Authority (SPA) mired in controversy bordering on farce. Kath Murray examines the state of the SPA and warns that it must be made properly accountable to Parliament, and its ties to government ministers weakened.

Opinion: Retired Metropolitan Police Service Detective Superintendent Paul Downing is the former head of the MPS Crime Academy Intelligence Faculty. He argues intelligence training has been marginalised in recent years and is failing to keep pace with the changing times.

Opinion: Based on thirty years policing experience and his academic research with the University of Portsmouth, Mark Taylor offers an ethical alternative to the College of Policing’s National Decision Model (NDM) currently used in the police service.  

Insight:  A survey carried out by the College of Policing earlier this year revealed Police and Crime Commissioners were concerned about the lack of applicants for chief officer roles. In response, the College launched a series of initiatives looking at the barriers to applying, but also what experience and qualifications tomorrow's police leaders will need. Giselle Lockett, the College Lead for Professional Development, updates Policing Insight on the College's progress.

OPINION: Chief Superintendent Gavin Thomas, President of the Police Superintendents’ Association of England and Wales, argues that it's time to restore the balance in police funding.

OPINION: Much has been written on body-worn video and its potential to reduce complaints and enhance police legitimacy. Former Senior Investigating Officer Andy Griffiths argues that BWV also challenges the criminal justice system's reliance on memory - and that it should encourage us to look again at what problems the current system is set up to solve.

OPINION: In the wake of the recent terrorist attacks on the UK, Emma Williams of Canterbury Christ Church University says thank you to those officers who warned the public that police numbers were too low, and who are now working full stretch to protect us.

OPINION: Some vulnerable individuals can contact the police disproportionately often. Supt. Andrea Barrow and Prof. Stuart Kirby of the University of Central Lancashire explain how Lancashire Constabulary has worked together with partners to set up Early Action Teams to deal with vulnerable callers.

OPINION: What's in the general election manifestos on criminal justice - and more importantly, perhaps, what isn't? Will McMahon, Deputy Director at the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies, reads between the lines, and says it's time to look more closely at demand.

Analysis: Last year's Police Federation of England and Wales' Health and Well being survey of its members revealed a mental health ticking time bomb. The association, representing officers up to the rank of inspector, says officers are at breaking point, so what is the service doing about it? 

OPINION: Officers taking a break have been in the news lately, with both positive and negative public responses. Serving officer Chris Excell summarises a recent @WeCops discussion on the vital need for officers to be able to take a break - publicly or privately - and the underlying issues of police welfare, stress and wellbeing in general.

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.