Regulatory/inspection agencies

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: 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: 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.

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: 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.

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.

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.

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: 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: 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: 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.

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.