Technology and equipment

ANALYSIS: In the wake of the recent sentencing of a far-right terrorist in New Zealand for the horrific Christchurch mosque attacks, Andrew Staniforth looks at efforts in the UK to ensure that places of worship, and those who use them, are protected from hate crimes and the threat of terrorism.

UCL COVID-19 SERIES: In this latest article from the UCL Jill Dando Institute, Professor Nick Tilley looks at the damaging impact of fly-tipping, how the coronavirus lockdown is likely to have exacerbated the issue, and the steps that local authorities and others can take to tackle the problem.

OPINION: The challenges of the Coronavirus pandemic have stretched emergency services around the globe in strikingly similar ways; Oscar Bachs, from Barcelona technology company Unblur, describes how innovations such as AI and situational awareness software could be used to enhance the safety and effectiveness of blue light workers.

INNOVATION: A review of Lancashire Constabulary's Force Control Room, which receives more than 1.2 million calls a year, led to the development of an award-winning voice to text system which will significantly improve the force's call handing and service delivery to the public. Project leaders Chief Supt Ian Dawson and Insp Andy Doran explain the background to the project, the actions already completed, and the potential for further advances.

OPINION: Ian Stevenson, Chair of the Online Safety Technology Industry Association (OSTIA) and CEO of Cyan Forensics, outlines the ever-increasing challenge facing police digital forensic teams targeting issues such as online child sexual abuse, and highlights the opportunities for transformational change by utilising new technology to tackle such crimes.

INNOVATION: A new real-time drug analysis system, pioneered by New Zealand Police's Evidence-Based Policing Centre and the NZ Institute of Environmental Science & Research, enables officers to make better decisions in the field; NZ Police Deputy Chief Executive Mark Evans explains how Lumi Drug Scan works.

UCL COVID-19 SERIES: In this latest article from the UCL Jill Dando Institute, Dr Manja Nikolovska and Professor Shane Johnson explore the surge in COVID-19-themed bio-assaults – coughing, sneezing and spitting – on key workers and members of the public.

FEATURE: An industry body for security professionals has drawn up a blueprint for the lawful use of facial recognition technology; but, as Sarah Gibbons reports, thousands of leading international academics are warning that the algorithms and data used in such systems inevitably reinforce racial bias and prejudice.

OPINION: As policing by consent and the basis of police interaction with the public are widely debated, Dr Brian Moss of the University of Southampton argues that a hardening of police tactics – such as increased used of CEDs and predictive policing – have been met largely with silence by the UK police inspectorates.

UCL COVID-19 SERIES: In this latest article from the UCL Jill Dando Institute, Mariam Elgabry discusses the COVID-19 pandemic and its effect on the growing problem of bio-crime both in the UK and abroad.

ANALYSIS: Policing Insight contributor Sarah Gibbons outlines the findings of the latest report from the Commissioner for the Retention and Use of Biometric Material, highlighting the need for stronger governance and clarity on the use of biometrics technology.

ANALYSIS: The lack of interoperability between police systems wastes taxpayers’ money and reduces effectiveness, says Coeus Software CEO Simon Hall. So how can police ICT escape from the silos of legacy systems?

INTERVIEW: Peter Prater, Chair of the International Critical Control Rooms Alliance (ICCRA), chaired the inaugural global Control Room Summit in Amsterdam earlier this year. In this interview for Policing Insight, he discusses the changes he has seen in 35 years in control rooms, the potential to learn from other sectors, and the technologies he thinks will shape the future.

Insight: Policing Insight contributor Andrew Staniforth considers how the use of drones to aid police enforcement during the COVID-19 pandemic has been received by the general public both within the UK and abroad.

UCL COVID-19 SERIES: With children in England expected to fully return to school in September, Dr Mandy Shaw from Leeds Beckett University considers how bullying has continued during the lockdown phase of the pandemic, and how the risk of this can be managed within the school environment.

OPINION: Adrian Timberlake, Chief Technical Officer at Seven Technologies Group, explains how new technology and the improved use of data could help police to prevent and reduce knife crime.

ANALYSIS: In the wake of the National Crime Agency's successful global operation against organised crime, Policing Insight contributor Andrew Staniforth discusses how law enforcement agencies are combatting the cartels and whether this is working.

OPINION: UK police forces are under constant pressure to deliver more services with limited resources. IBM Services Associate Partner Luke Mundy explores how augmenting existing human resource with a digital, automated workforce could increase capacity, freeing up officers and staff to concentrate on nuanced, skilled, high-value tasks.

UCL COVID-19 SERIES: Dr Kartikeya Tripathi and Professor Claudia Cooper from the UCL Jill Dando Institute examine how the risk of becoming a victim of cybercrime has increased for older people during lockdown and how this threat can be tackled.

OPINION: Community scrutiny panels (CSPs) can help to ensure the use of stop and search is fair and proportionate, says Nina Champion, Director of Criminal Justice Alliance – but only if they are representative of their communities, allowed to operate independently, and given the necessary funding, training and access to data.

INTERVIEW: Dr Holger Nitsch, coordinator of the new European Commission DroneWISE innovation project, explains exclusively to Policing Insight the threat from the terrorist use of drones, and the measures being developed across Europe to support the emergency services' response to a potential terrorist drone attack.

OPINION: Recent reports from HMICFRS and PACTS have highlighted the important role of roads policing in tackling crime and public safety. But Charlie Norman, managing director of road safety organisation DriveTech, believes that with competing demands for limited resources, partnerships will be the key to meeting often complex challenges.

ANALYSIS: Launched three years ago, Merseyside Police's innovative Evidence-Based Policing (EBP) Knowledge Hub hosts around 150 pieces of research; in 2019 it staged its first event, showcasing some of the research and their practical applications. PS Andrew Fielding explores the presentations and the benefits of EBP to policing.

INTERVIEW: In the second part of our interview with former CACP Executive Director Bill Moore, the veteran officer explores key issues including the role of the Chiefs’ Association, the legalisation of cannabis, and how analytics may have an important part to play in shaping the future of Canadian policing.