Technology and equipment

ANALYSIS: What are the benefits of mobile working? When Police Scotland rolled out devices to 11,000 officers, they called on an independent academic team to assess the results - which were overwhelmingly positive. Chief Inspector Martin Gallagher, Deputy Business Lead, outlines the project, alongside Professor Lesley Diack of Robert Gordon University and Dr. William Graham of Abertay University.

INNOVATION: Sniffer dogs are already used by police forces to detect everything from drugs and guns to cash and dead bodies; now police in Derbyshire are pioneering the work of a new breed of forensic dogs that can sniff out tiny traces of semen to support investigations into sexual offences, reports Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons.

FEATURE: The impact of COVID-19 has included changing crime volumes and trends, with forces having to adapt rapidly and implement new ways of working; Policing Insight’s Ian Wiggett spoke to Cheshire Constabulary’s DCS Gareth Lee and DCI Adam Ross about some of the challenges of tackling and investigating crime during the pandemic, and how the experience could drive lasting change.

Opinion: In the second of two articles exploring the current spotlight on policing protests, public order specialist and former chief superintendent Owen West assesses the latest HMICFRS report on the issue, and questions the lack of focus on resources, liaison and leadership, as well as the political timing of the publication.

INNOVATION: Intelligent automation is delivering significant savings, greater efficiency and improved job satisfaction for many forces across England and Wales; Christy Hopkins and Andy Willmer of consultancy Deloitte highlight some of the key benefits already realised by this automated addition to the police workforce.

Opinion: Avon and Somerset Chief Constable Andy Marsh, a keen geographer with passion for innovation and collaboration, explores how geospatial data provided by the Public Sector Geospatial Agreement (PSGA) helps protect our communities, and innovate and enable better decision making.

Interview: West Midlands Police data ethics committee could see its role expand into a national portfolio building on its success of scrutinising police use of artificial intelligence-led operations and acting as a vehicle to build public trust in new policing techniques. Policing Insight's Deputy Editor Sarah Gibbons talked to one of the committee's creators about its work and the teeth it has despite being only an advisory body.

OPINION: With funding for policing and the wider public sector likely to be under significant pressure in the post-Covid economic landscape, resources for roads policing may be severely stretched; Charlie Norman, Managing Director of DriveTech, believes improved partnerships with the private sector could be crucial to maintaining safety on the roads.

Insight: The UK’s Advanced Research & Invention Agency will help to accelerate the digitalisation and technological transformation of policing; Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth examines how the new agency will provide forward-thinking innovators with a unique opportunity to revolutionise the service.

OPINION: Steve Ainsworth, Director of Operational Safety at Northgate Public Services, believes public concern over the ethical use of AFR is blocking it from being seen as a force for good, and sets his sights on debunking facial recognition technology’s Big Brother image.

ANALYSIS: A wide range of measures were introduced across the criminal justice system in the UK to reduce the spread of the coronavirus, including greater use of remote legal advice for those in police custody; but as Penelope Gibbs, Director of Transform Justice explains, a new report highlights both the lack of meaningful monitoring of such measures, and their potential to compromise justice and jeopardise fairness.

INNOVATION: Among a number of key issues covered at this month’s UK Police Digital Summit was the importance of agile, cloud-based services for frontline officers; Simon Hall, CEO of PoliceBox, believes the move to adaptable, police-specific solutions is crucial for future policing.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: As one of the UK's leading control room software experts, APD Communications has been working hard behind the scenes on developing new technologies to help against the fight of the ever-increasing demands experienced with the control room.

INNOVATION: Digital transformation within policing and the criminal justice system has gathered pace in recent years, and the pandemic in particular has been a key driver; but Raj Singh, CEO of digital transformation specialists Innotatio, warns that successive waves of future transformation will bring with them fresh challenges.

INTERVIEW: In January, Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) published its COVID-19 inspection of fire and rescue services across England and Wales. Catherine Levin talks to two police, fire and crime commissioners to see whether having oversight of both police and fire makes a difference when it comes to responding to a global pandemic.

INTERVIEW: As police forces in England and Wales ramp up their recruitment programmes, concerns continue to be raised about the pressure to meet Home Office targets affecting the competence of new recruits; Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth spoke to Alison Lyle, Senior Lecturer in Policing at Sheffield Hallam University, about their courses to educate and professionalise the next generation of police officers.

OPINION: Digital information is now all pervasive in society, and effective gathering and collating of that information as evidence is a challenge for policing; senior policing advisor Dr Steve Watts, a former chief officer in the UK, believes more forces could be reaping the benefits of digital evidence management systems.

FEATURE: The Police Foundation’s Strategic Review of Policing is exploring the sort of UK police service stakeholders need and expect over the coming years; ahead of next week’s conference on The Future Police Workforce, Foundation Director Rick Muir highlights some of the key questions that need to be considered.

INNOVATION: Camera technology used in healthcare settings and hospitals to monitor a person’s movement, pulse and breathing is being introduced into custody suites in Devon and Cornwall – the first police use of the new high-tech system – after a successful two-year trial.

OPINION: The world of forensic science in the UK is changing, in the form of a new national network with police forces as members; Jo Ashworth, CEO of the Forensic Capability Network, explains that forces must get actively involved to help shape the future of forensics.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: The National Policing Digital Strategy 2020-2030 recommends that forces take a cloud-first approach to applications and data. Join this webinar on 24th February 2021 to learn more about the police assured mission accelerator developed by Amazon Web Services (AWS), the Police ICT Company, and the National Police Technology Council. which helps forces to migrate workloads and deploy services quickly and securely to the cloud.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: The disruptive events of 2020 present new pathways for public sector organisations to accelerate the progress they’ve already made in advancing their digital ambitions. But first they need to overcome legacy challenges to achieve a single view of their citizens and start small to harness innovation.

ANALYSIS: Dr George Karystianis and Professor Tony Butler of the University of New South Wales have used data mining techniques to analyse almost half a million police reports of domestic violence, revealing that mental health issues play a key role in the crime for both victims and perpetrators.

Insight: The Police Code of Ethics applies equally to all areas of policing and data should not be considered in isolation as a different topic, argues the NPCC lead on ethics; Policing Insight Deputy Editor Sarah Gibbons explains his views and those of others seeking to embed transparency around data use in police decision-making.