Technology and equipment

FEATURES: A new report on the UK police response to domestic abuse during the coronavirus pandemic has praised forces for their proactive and innovative approaches, but voiced fresh concerns over the delays in cases coming to court, and the long-term impact of the significant level of cases discontinued, as Policing Insight Deputy Editor Sarah Gibbons reports.

ADVERTISEMENT INTERVIEW: With UK police preparing to handle rapidly growing volumes of digital, multichannel contact from the public, the benefits – both for citizens and forces – of installing integrated contact management and CRM platforms are increasingly obvious; Steve Norris, Police Market Director at Salesforce UK (a specified supplier under the recent framework) highlights the advantages of the latest contact technology in enabling forces to cope with demand and enhance the service to citizens.

FEATURE: The collaboration between the Australian Federal Police and FBI in using the AN0M app to break up organised crime networks has been hailed as a spectacular success; but Australian Strategic Policy Institute Dr Teagan Westendorf believes it’s important that the use of new police powers in such operations is transparent and fully understood, to maintain the public’s confidence and trust in law enforcement.

FEATURE: The recent conflict between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas has heightened tensions and led to an increase in religious hatred far beyond the Middle East; Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth reports on initiatives across Europe to strengthen community cohesion and prevent extremists from launching successful attacks on and around places of worship.

OPINION: Modernisation and digital transformation are at the heart of creating a police service capable of protecting communities against future threats; policing adviser and former deputy chief constable Paul Kennedy, and James Cottam of IT recruitment specialists Futures, believe the key to delivering the fast, versatile and responsive transformation required is through a hybrid, collaborative approach to building teams with the necessary skills and expertise.

INNOVATION: With the national police recruitment uplift programme well underway, and many forces also looking to recruit additional officers on top of those identified by the Government, Hayley Wallis, Recruitment Marketing Lead at Lancashire Police, explains how the implementation of a flexible communications platform at the organisation has helped to drive recruitment.

OPINION: While new technology offers huge advances for policing, the public focus is often on the associated risks of over-reach (real or perceived) and the impact on human rights, and Facial Recognition Technology (FRT) is no different; but Dr Craig Jones of Stats NZ believes the New Zealand Police approach to FRT – committing to transparency and accountability, and addressing concerns through open conversation – can help to maintain public trust and deliver real benefits.

OPINION: Already referred to as ‘the most surveilled nation on Earth’, the UK looks set to invest in more CCTV through a funding boost to the Safer Streets initiative; but Professor William Webster of Stirling University believes that expanding the existing disparate and fragmented CCTV ecosystem neglects the wider societal change required for women to feel safer in public places.

INNOVATION: The fast pace of development in drone technology represents an ever-evolving range of threats – particularly in the hands of terrorists; Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth looks at the new counter-UAV training for first responders being delivered as part of DroneWISE, and how the project is helping to improve co-ordination and co-operation between countries and agencies.

INTERVIEW: Not all officers relish the prospect of a high-pressure ‘no-comment’ interview, where a suspect’s lack of response can lead to oppressive silences; but new research by Acting Detective Inspector Dan McCarthy of Sussex Police suggests additional training to master the uncomfortable interview room dynamics can lead to much more positive outcomes, as Policing Insight Deputy Editor Sarah Gibbons reports.

OPINION: The Misuse of Drugs Act came into effect half a century ago, and while society, policing, and attitudes to and availability of drugs has changed significantly over those 50 years, the law has not; with billions spent on attempting to tackle an issue that has increased substantially since 1971, policing commentator and former drugs policy lead Ben Twomey believes that both an honest public debate over drugs, and a review of the Act, are long overdue.

New report: With growing volumes of increasingly complex demand, police contact management was already facing significant challenges before the arrival of COVID-19; but a new report by CoPaCC highlights how forces have responded to more varied public channel choice, adopted and developed new technology, and adapted working practices and reporting structures to meet the challenges of both the increasing demand and the pandemic.

FEATURE: Justin Partridge, Postgraduate Researcher at Leeds University Business School and Visiting Fellow at the Open University Centre for Policing Research and Learning, considers the major issues facing the policing of cybercrime ahead of the second session of the N8 Policing Research Partnership’s Policing Innovation Forum 2021: Partnering Up Against Cybercrime.

INTERVIEW: Advances in technology and the growing demand for digital communication have led to significant changes to police contact management, but the arrival of COVID-19 presented a whole new challenge; Superintendent Aimee Ramm, the National Product Owner for policing’s digital platform Single Online Home, explains how the development team met that challenge, and the continuing evolution of online reporting and contact prompted by the pandemic.

FEATURE: The NPCC Digital Forensic Science Strategy, developed by the Transforming Forensics (TF) Programme and the Forensic Capability Network, is a blueprint for change to address pressing problems and put forward transformational but realistic solutions; TF Programme Director Richard Meffen explains the aims and issues addressed, as well as some of the key project work being undertaken – such as Legacy Data guidance and CSE Automate – to enable that transformation.

OPINION: The appointment of a new Inspector General of Police in Nigeria has brought about some closure to calls for reform of the country’s security architecture; but as Dr Lanre Ikuteyijo of Obafemi Awolowo University explains, the new incumbent will face a long ‘to do’ list – from rebuilding community relations and improving the police image to rooting out corruption and improving the morale and welfare of officers.

FEATURES: As the Novichok poisoning in Salisbury three years ago and other chemical agent attacks have highlighted, the CBRN threat can have a real, traumatic and long-lasting impact; Policing Insight’s Andy Staniforth reports on a new joint European initiative to protect shopping malls – potentially a soft target for terrorists and state-sponsored actors – from CBRN attack.

FEATURE: Plans to crackdown on an apparent surge in youth crime in Queensland and the Northern Territories aren’t supported by figures which suggest youth prosecutions are falling, but there is clearly a real problem with recidivism among young offenders: Analyst Dr Teagan Westendorf of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute argues that improving child protection will be more effective in tackling the issue than increasing incarceration.

ANALYSIS : The pandemic has focused attention on our reliance on infrastructure; but organised criminals rarely miss opportunities to 'repurpose' technology. Martin Gallagher, serving officer with Police Scotland, and Chris Foster of the University of Manchester, explore the concept of 'shadow infrastructure' and its dangers.

FEATURE: A new Social Media Management & Engagement Framework has been launched by the Police Digital Service, to enable forces to meet nationally agreed strategy standards on consistency and engagement, with the potential for using digital channels for both emergency and non-emergency contact, as Policing Insight Editor Keith Potter reports.

ANALYSIS: A new report by the New Zealand Law Commission has set out 193 recommendations to overhaul the use of DNA in criminal investigation; but Professor Carrie Leonetti of the University of Auckland believes the report still overlooks key issues in the use of the country’s DNA databank in relation to over-representation of Māori, the use of familial searches, and concerns over privacy, discrimination and consent.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: Many police agencies face the same or similar challenges when it comes to digital forensics. Too much data, too many devices and resource constraints. Harsh Behl highlights how the tools from AccessData®, an Exterro Company can bridge the gap between front-line officers and forensic technicians so that investigations, analysis and review can start sooner.

INNOVATION: With increasing pressure on policing restricting opportunities for research and innovation, a new EU funding programme – to which UK forces still have access – could offer fresh avenues for transformation and change that will enable law enforcement to tackle existing and emerging threats, as Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth reports.

FEATURE: A unique collaboration between the UK’s Joint International Policing Hub (JIPH) and the People’s Police Academy in Vietnam has led to a lasting legacy for Vietnamese police training in tackling human trafficking; DI Mark O’Donoghue of the JIPH spoke to Policing Insight Deputy Editor Sarah Gibbons about the project.