OPINION: How will ongoing police reforms affect the Special Constabulary? Could their future include further integration with regulars - including the use of Taser? Dr Iain Britton, Institute for Public Safety Crime and Justice, reflects on his attendance at the annual national conference of the Association of Special Constabulary Chief Officers’ (ASCCO).

BOOK LAUNCH: "Police Chiefs in the UK: Politicians, HR Managers or Cops?" is a new book by former Met Superintendent Mark Roycroft, now Senior Lecturer in Criminology at the University of East London. Policing Insight Publisher Bernard Rix takes a look at a copy hot off the presses.

Opinion: As she prepares to retire after 30 years in the police service, the College of Policing's Lead on Direct Entry, Chief Superintendent Nicola Dale, looks back on her last three years in post.

ANALYSIS: Since the end of the Neighbourhood Policing Programme (NPP) in 2009, the work of neighbourhood teams across the country has significantly diverged. The Police Foundation are undertaking a major project to track these developments, and are looking for police officer and staff insights into what's been happening neighbourhood policing in your area.

NEWS: A successful bursary scheme to allow police officers and staff to get higher education qualifications is to reopen for applications later this year. Karin Rogers of the College of Policing explains how the bursary works and why it's good for individual officers and policing as a whole.

OPINION: Yesterday's report from the HMIC - The State of Policing in England and Wales - emphasised the lack of proper funding for mental health, and the way policing has been forced to become the service of first resort. Serving officer Nathan Constable - who has warned of this for some time - highlights the key issues around police responses to mental health crises.

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.

ANALYSIS: Despite appearances (and headlines), the police service has been one of the public sector's success stories over the last few years, making significant cuts with less damage to services than other sectors. Emily Andrews of the Institute for Government examines the data through the IfG's new Performance Tracker - but warns there could be trouble ahead.

OPINION: Direct entry is a controversial topic, and has generated a lot of debate. While few would argue that those who have joined through the scheme are dedicated and sincere, policing commentator Graham Wettone argues that nothing can replace direct experience of policing - especially at Inspector level.

OPINION: There has been a lot of recent debate about degree-level entry and the 'professionalisation' of policing. Emma Williams of Canterbury Christ Church University has been heavily involved in work to recognise serving officers' existing skills and capacities. Here, she outlines what 'Recognition of Prior Experiential Learning' will mean.

OPINION: Policing research used to be dominated by research on the police, designed, directed and carried out by academic researchers. However, recent years have seen a move towards co-production of research with police. Sean Butcher, a PhD student at the University of Leeds, reports from a workshop on the challenges of co-production, and how this move might be sustained.

OPINION: There is an ongoing debate within policing about the value of academic input, and whether evidence-based policing can offer the kind of knowledge that policing needs. Chief Superintendent Owen West looks at the arguments, and calls for academic collaboration to confront the politics of knowledge within the police service itself.

Analysis: Dr Alistair Norman, lecturer in information management at Leeds University Business School, discussed the latest technological solutions around public safety communications at the recent B-APCO 2017 conference, including the drivers, barriers and trends for the future.

OPINION: Degree level entry to the police is a hugely controversial issue for many serving officers, who feel that the proposals undermine them - but is this fair? Serving officer Dan Reynolds examines the Police Educational Qualifications Framework and what it offers for those already in the force.

OPINION: The death of Ian Tomlinson in 2009 during the G20 protests led to a fundamental re-examination of public order policing in the UK. But why has that learning not been embedded in the policing of football crowds? Chief Superintendent Owen West of West Yorkshire Police reports from an expert seminar at Keele University, and asks what are the police waiting for?

Analysis: With BME recruitment, progression and retention rates still low, former ACC Karen Vanterpool Daber, once one of the UK's most senior female Black officers, asks why the service is still having the same debate about BME officers and how it needs to change.

OPINION: Many serving officers may feel that the College of Policing is a distant organisation, doing things to them, rather than for them. Serving officer Dan Reynolds makes a critical appraisal of the work of the College and how its work can be beneficial for officers on the ground.

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.

OPINION: The National Police Chief’s Council (NPCC) and the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners' (APCC) ‘Policing Vision 2025’ sets out a vision of transformational change across the whole of policing. Dr Stephen Brookes, Senior Fellow in Public Policy and Leadership at the University of Manchester, outlines the key leadership questions that will shape policing over the course of the next ten years.

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.

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.

OPINION: Last week's HMIC police effectiveness (PEEL) report painted a worrying picture about the state of policing. However, Gavin Hales of the Police Foundation argues the demands of HMIC may be impossible to meet for some forces - and that the report should be seen as a warning flag to the Home Office and Treasury that all is not well.

ANALYSIS: HMIC last week published their latest PEEL report, on police effectiveness. Crime expert and author Tom Gash provides his thoughts on the analysis they've presented.

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.