Technology and equipment

UCL COVID-19 SERIES: In the latest of the series of articles from the UCL Jill Dando Institute, Dr Lisa Tompson and Dr Jyoti Belur examine the effect of stalking on victims during the lockdown and how agencies are working to address this.

UCL COVID-19 SERIES: The COVID-19 pandemic has been exploited by some criminals selling fake medical and health products. Dr. Manja Nikolovska and Professor Shane Johnson, Director at the Dawes Centre for future crime at UCL, examine how criminals have preyed on people's fear and vulnerability and how this type of crime can be prevented.

Opinion: Professor of Law at the University of Technology, Sydney, Australia Thalia Anthony says Australia is appalled by racist police violence in the United States, but does not confront discrimination within its own criminal justice system against First Nations people.

Opinion: The lockdown has led forces to re-evaluate how they use technology to support their operations with some innovative results. Director at technology consultancy Tisski Ben Austen explores how having an integrated technology platform at the heart of policing will enable forces to continue to innovate.

Insight: The UK introduced new quarantine laws for those entering the UK earlier this month. Policing Insight contributor Andrew Staniforth explores the nature of these new restrictions and the ability of Border Force and the police to enforce them.

Analysis: The UK is going through an unprecedented time. Barely out of austerity, it has had to contend with a pandemic alongside the impact of events happening elsewhere in the world. Professor Peter Joyce and Dr Wendy Laverick look back over the last few months and examine some of the triggers that could lead to widespread disorder.

Analysis: In the wake of the death of George Floyd in the U.S, tensions over racial discrimination have spread across the world, including Australia. Emma Thomas, Associate Professor at Flinders University, examines the policing of protests and why some turn violent.

Opinion: Technology has played a huge role in policing the lockdown, especially in enabling officers and staff to successfully work remotely. Simon Hall, CEO of Coeus Software, explores what this means now Covid-19 restrictions are being slowly eased.

Insight: Rogue drone incursions are a serious threat to football stadiums. With football currently either suspended or played behind close doors, Policing Insight contributor Andrew Staniforth says now is the time to consider a counter-drone strategy and explore the available anti-drone technology.

Analysis: Already a serious problem for society, domestic abuse in all its forms has been exacerbated by the lockdown. Policing commentator Mark Brown says now is the time to implement a nationwide strategy similar CONTEST, the Government's counter-terror strategy, to tackle this 'epidemic within the pandemic'.

INNOVATION: In the third of a series of articles, DriveTech's Charlie Norman explores a new white paper on proposed changes to new cars sold in the UK from 2024. He argues current rules on a driver’s readiness to be on the road are in need of a comprehensive review. More complex vehicles on more crowded roads, with reduced levels of roads policing, may explain why improved safety equipment hasn’t had the desired impact. 

Interview: The COVID-19 crisis has impacted upon police forces across the world. Vice Dean of the Police College of the Republic of Croatia Assistant Professor Ruža Karlović tells Policing Insight how the active engagement in community policing research and innovation with European police partners has supported the organisation and delivery of COVID-19 emergency measures to local communities.

SPOTLIGHT ON THE WINNERS: An innovative public consultation process by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) and the Northern Ireland Policing Board (NIPB) was awarded Highly Commended in the World Class Policing Awards, sponsored by Accenture. In our final article on the award-winning nominations, Keith Potter takes a closer look at the online simulator which allowed community members the chance to control police budgets, allocate resources and gain a better understanding of the funding challenges.

Analysis: Policing Insight contributor Andrew Staniforth examines how Police Scotland is tackling online child sexual exploitation during the Covid-19 lockdown alongside the wider challenges of combating the tens of thousands of websites hosting child abuse images.

INNOVATION: As drone technology develops and their use increases at pace, Policing Insight's Andrew Staniforth says INTERPOL's Framework for Responding to a Drone Incident will help close the gap in law enforcement's knowledge of how to deal with these Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV).

Opinion: The lockdown and social distancing means trainers and course providers have had to find different ways to deliver their courses. Despite the challenges of moving a CPD-accredited settlement course for leavers to a virtual setting, Mightify's Tom Wheelhouse found many participants preferred this new style of delivery.

Analysis: The latest in our Report Watch series summarises a report by Europol on how Covid-19 will shape serious and organised crime landscape in the EU beyond the pandemic.

Analysis: Senior Business Manager at Frazer-Nash Consultancy Martin Soltau says that current discussions among chief constables about the future of police air support represent a rare and significant opportunity to transform a service that is exceptionally valuable – and extremely complex.

Analysis: While many forces have trialled alternative energy vehicles, Gloucestershire Constabulary is now the trailblazer for UK policing, with electric vehicles (EVs) making up more than 20% of its fleet. Policing Insight spoke to Head of Transport Services Steve Imms about all things electric – including rural charging infrastructure, range anxiety EV response capability, and the holy grail of alternative fuelling.

OPINION: The global pandemic has illustrated that policing does not operate in a vacuum when it comes to delivering public services. Policing Insight's Publisher Bernard Rix looks at how one supplier worked with UK police forces, the Police ICT Company and the National Police Technology Council to ensure previously office-based work could be rapidly undertaken by police officers and staff in their own homes.

Opinion: Tom Nolan, Visiting Associate Professor of Sociology at Emmanuel College, Boston University, explores how the pandemic is affecting crime statistics in the United States and the impact it is having on the police response.

Innovation: In the second of a series of articles, Charlie Norman, managing director of road safety organisation DriveTech, argues that temporary changes to the way that motoring offenders are dealt with, brought about by the Coronavirus, are proving so successful that there’s a strong case for making them permanent.

Analysis: USA: Covid-19 has presented law enforcement with huge challenges, but Dr. Joseph A. Cortez, Associate Professor at the University of Southern California and Lieutenant at the Santa Monica Police Department, argues it is also an unprecedented opportunity to switch off 'auto-pilot' and use the lessons learnt to help re-shape the future of policing.

Opinion: With some daily headlines in Britain focused on the use of police powers in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, Professor Ian Loader from the University of Oxford considers the role of the police and how effective the current police response has been.