Representative organisations - United Kingdom

OPINION: Professor Alison Sullivan’s recent Independent Review of Data, Statistics and Research on Sex and Gender includes a number of examples of the ongoing confusion around data on sex, as well as recommendations on how UK policing should approach these issues; Dr Kath Murray, co-director of MurrayBlackburnMackenzie policy analysis which provided research and analytical support to the review, highlights some of the key points it raises and how policing should move forward.

INTERVIEW: Three years after completing his 10-year term as HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary in England and Wales, Sir Tom Winsor spoke to Policing Insight about the new financial challenges facing policing, the improper political pressure put on officers, the “chilling effect” of PCC oversight on recruiting and retaining chief constables, and the need for a “network code” which would bind chiefs and PCCs to comply with majority decisions voted for by them and their colleagues.

ANALYSIS: An independent review of the South Australian domestic violence disclosure scheme (DVDS), delivered in partnership by Domestic and Family Violence Services and South Australia Police, has found applications to the scheme have more than doubled in six years, and it achieved a 99% satisfaction rate from applicants, with reviewers urging other jurisdictions looking to implement DVDS schemes or review existing ones to use the South Australian initiative as their model, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

FEATURE: A new report from the Vulnerability Knowledge Practice Programme analysing police-recorded child sexual abuse and exploitation (CSAE) highlights the scale of the crime, gaps in reporting, and threats that could contribute to further increases in CSAE, as well as legislation and other measures that could improve the police response, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

OPINION: Europol’s recently published 2025 Serious and Organised Crime Threat Assessment (SOCTA) highlighted the evolving trends of SOC on the international stage; former South Wales Police detective Steve Dodd, a subject matter expert on intelligence professionalisation and advocate of the community intelligence-led policing methodology, argues that the SOCTA also reinforces the key role that frontline officers and the Neighbourhood Policing Pathway have to play in tackling that SOC threat.

FEATURE: New research from the Youth Endowment Fund exploring how violence affects children and young people in England and Wales highlights “shocking disproportionality” across sectors such as youth justice and policing, and sets out five steps the Government should take – including around stop and search and diversion away from the criminal justice system – to address the problem, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

INNOVATION: The continuing development of multi-channel public contact is a key issue for policing across England and Wales; in the last in the recent series of Policing Tech Forum webinars produced by PolicingTV, Content Guru Business Development Director Shub Naha, Humberside Police Chief Digital and Innovation Officer Scot Dunn, and David Jackson from the NPCC’s Digital Public Contact Programme, explored the opportunities for AI to improve service delivery as well as staff and officer wellbeing, but not to replace humans in the process.

INNOVATION: With increasing recognition of the opportunities for artificial intelligence (AI) to significantly reduce the time and costs associated with some policing activities, the push for wider use of such technology has never been greater; in the last in a series of articles on AI in policing, Matt Palmer, Product Director, Public Safety from NEC Software Solutions, explores the key issues around ensuring the technology is used ethically and transparently.

INNOVATION: Following on from the recent Beyond Bureaucracy conference on artificial intelligence (AI) in the criminal justice system (CJS), independent policing and technology expert Giles Herdale explores some of the main opportunities and challenges facing police and the CJS in the successful development, adoption and implementation of effective AI technologies.

OPINION: In the second in a regular series of articles and opinion pieces from the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC), Merseyside Police and Crime Commissioner Emily Spurrell, Chair of the APCC, looks at the measures included in the Crime and Policing Bill currently progressing through Parliament, and the steps that PCCs, PFCCs and deputy mayors will play in helping to ensure those changes are delivered for the benefit of local communities.

INNOVATION: The roll out by two forces in Wales of operator-initiated facial recognition, which uses a mobile phone app to help identify individuals who are unable to confirm their ID, refuse to give details or give false information, is already resulting in benefits for the police and the public despite concerns voiced by campaign groups, as South Wales Police facial recognition lead Inspector Ben Gwyer told Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons.

FEATURE: As one of the first 10 forces selected for a hotspot policing pilot targeting serious violence and antisocial behaviour, South Yorkshire Police has been implementing the approach in a number of operations over the past two and half years; Acting Inspector Simon Kirkham of the force’s Hotspot Response Hub reflects on some of those initiatives (including the most recent winter violence campaign), how the hotspot team is trained and operates, and the successes it has achieved.

INNOVATION: As forces increase contact channels to include digital and online routes, the likelihood of comms staff being exposed to harmful images has increased, says Rebecca Malpass, Digital Communications Development Senior for Derbyshire Constabulary; now a new AI-based image filter together with additional guidance for staff can help to protect individuals from being exposed to indecent images, as she explained to Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons.

ANALYSIS: With just over a year to go until the end of National Police Chiefs’ Council funding for the Police Race Action Plan, Ian Weinfass looks at what chief constables across England and Wales hope it can achieve, and speaks to the chair of its independent scrutiny board and the head of the National Black Police Association about what else needs to be done.

INNOVATION: Artificial intelligence (AI) technology presents opportunities to support police officers in many aspects of their work, but only as a helpmate, never an equal; in the second in a series of three articles on AI in policing, Matt Palmer, Product Director, Public Safety from NEC Software Solutions, highlights the importance of setting clear boundaries in defining the role of AI in policing.

FEATURE: Last month saw joint calls from the National Police Chiefs’ Council, College of Police and Counter-Terrorism Policing for UK policing to be given more freedom to share details around investigations that could help to quell the online misinformation fuelling violence and disorder; Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth looks at the challenges around sharing of information, as well as the artificial intelligence tools that can help to tackle misinformation.

FEATURE: Earlier this year more than 40 academics and police practitioners gathered at Canterbury Christ Church University’s Centre for Policing Research (CCPR) to explore both the strategic importance of wellbeing and the practical steps being taken to support officers and staff in frontline and specialist roles, as Policing Insight’s Dr Carina O’Reilly reports.

FEATURE: A new report by Children’s Commissioner for England Dame Rachel de Souza into the involvement of children in the riots across the UK last summer has found that “significant work” is still to be done to create a child-first approach to justice, while a strong distrust of police underlines “an urgent need for child-centred policing”, and conversations with children didn’t support the narrative that online misinformation or right-wing influences were responsible young people being “enticed to join in the aggression”, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

ANALYSIS: Investigative genetic genealogy is being used by police forces around the world to identify both the discovered remains of unknown individuals, and to track down those responsible for murders and other violent crimes; in this edited version of her Churchill Fellowship report, Dr Emma Tilley of the University of Staffordshire looks at the use of investigative genetic genealogy in police investigations around the world, the benefits and challenges it offers, and how can UK policing can implement this new technique.

INNOVATION: The continuing development of digital and multi-channel public contact is a key issue for policing across England and Wales; in the third in the Policing Tech Forum series of webinars produced by PolicingTV, Ch Supt Tony Josephs, NPCC Digital Public Contact Programme Director, Tony Jackson, Head of Digital Futures at Merseyside Police, and Martin Taylor, Deputy CEO of Content Guru, explored opportunities to enhance the public experience through the My Police Portal and other technology, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

FEATURE: A National Audit Office ‘value for money’ report into the work of the Government and Home Office to tackle violence against women and girls (VAWG) has warned that efforts to improve the outcome for victims have largely failed so far, with the Home Office failing to lead an effective cross-government response, and a generally limited understanding of the resources allocated to tackling VAWG or their impact, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

OPINION: The Police Superintendents’ Association (PSA) and the Superintendents’ Association of Northern Ireland recently submitted evidence to the Police Remuneration Review Body on pay and conditions, calling for (amongst other things) a fully funded 4.8% pay rise across all ranks, and a new health and wellbeing structure for officers and staff; PSA National Secretary Chief Superintendent Warren Franklin explains the reasoning behind the submission, and the need for a long-term strategy going forwards.

OPINION: In the first in a new regular series of articles and opinion pieces from the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC), Merseyside Police and Crime Commissioner Emily Spurrell, Chair of the APCC, highlights the PCC-based initiatives underway across England and Wales to reduce crime and improve community safety, particularly focusing on crime prevention and partnership working, with new research published this week underlining the effectiveness of multi-agency, evidence-based collaboration.

INTERVIEW: In just over a year, the UK's Police National Computer is set to be replaced by the new Law Enforcement Data Service; Ian Weinfass spoke to those leading on the project for the Home Office and the police service about what the change will mean for officers, what else needs to happen, and the potential implications of not hitting the target date.