Technology and equipment

Opinion: Despite the Good Friday Agreement, dissident violence still poses a threat to peace in Northern Ireland. Policing Insight Contributor Andrew Staniforth reminds us of the devastating impact of previous IRA campaigns and the present-day factors that could fuel a resurgence in violence.

SPOTLIGHT ON THE WINNERS: A highly complex digital forensic investigation by a UK police team, which helped to crack a global cyber attack against thousands of targets including Sony’s Playstation network, was recognised as a winner at the recent inaugural World Class Policing Awards sponsored by Accenture. In the fifth of twelve articles focusing on the award-winning nominations, Keith Potter takes a closer look at Operation Polarity.

ANNOUNCEMENT: As official media partner of the World Class Policing Awards 2020, Policing Insight is delighted to announce the nominations for this year's awards are now OPEN!

Advertisement Feature: BAPCO 2020 is a must-attend event for everyone involved in the public safety communications technology sector.

OPINION: The UK's first ever National Policing Digital Strategy was launched at the recent Police ICT Summit. Director of the National Enabling Programmes and Chair of the National Police Technology Council Wayne Parkes explores the reasons for the strategy, its ambitions, and how it can be delivered.

NEWS: The use of Artificial Intelligence in policing has raised concerns in some quarters. With the Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation due to publish a new ethical framework for AI in policing in the coming months, its Executive Director Ollie Buckley says public trust will be vital to its success.

Analysis: This May, in England and Wales, the public will go to the polls to elect their local Police and Crime Commissioner. Professor Peter Joyce and Dr Wendy Laverick examine the lessons to be learnt from the previous two elections in 2012 and 2016 and what prospective candidates are likely to focus on in 2020.

Analysis: As UK police are set to receive new powers to tackle the problem of illegal drone activity, Policing Insight contributor Andrew Staniforth examines the risks drones pose to our safety and security and the wider work happening to counteract them.

Analysis: Last week's police funding settlement - the biggest increase in police funding for a decade - has been welcomed by many in the service. While the headline figures are impressive, former Assistant Chief Constable and now CoPaCC Director Ian Wiggett takes a closer look and finds some questions still need to be answered.

SPOTLIGHT ON THE WINNERS: A force-wide initiative to equip officers with smartphones and develop apps that maximise the benefits of mobile working was recognised as a winner at the recent inaugural World Class Policing Awards sponsored by Accenture. In the fourth of twelve articles focusing on the award-winning nominations, Keith Potter takes a closer look at the New Zealand Police Mobility Programme.

NEWS: The Police ICT Summit is held every year, but this year’s event is set to be a milestone with the publication of the service’s first national digital strategy for policing. Policing Insight reports from the conference.

INSIGHT: This week’s Police ICT Summit will see suppliers, police buyers and stakeholders discuss current challenges and develop solutions. But where are the voices of the end users in this process? And could a greater focus on user experience help to solve existing challenges as well as develop more effective long-term solutions?

OPINION: The annual Police ICT Summit takes place this week in Manchester, bringing together the key players who can together agree and deliver a roadmap for police ICT across England and Wales. Policing Insight Publisher Bernard Rix calls on those at the Summit to focus on finding common ground, rather than emphasising their differences.

opinion: There are 43 Home Office ‘funded’ police forces in England and Wales out of a total of around 50 law enforcement agencies across the United Kingdom. Darren Scates, Chief Technology Officer for the Metropolitan Police Service, offers his personal view on how to deliver technology more effectively in this distributed environment, and asks: "Can we increase the success rate of projects and programmes?"

opinion: Dialling 999 remains the traditional way to contact the police in an emergency, but with demand rising and the public increasingly turning to messaging apps, could chatbots offer policing an affordable alternative to managing demand? Futr A.I.'s Client Services Director Martin Scoble explores the chatbots' potential.

Opinion: Several UK forces have begun to adopt mobile biometric fingerprinting ID devices. In the United States, FBI field officers already carry these devices as a standard part of their kit. Eleanor Benson of Integrated Biometrics (IB) explains the benefits of the technology to policing and the public.

SPOTLIGHT ON THE WINNERS: A UK policing initiative to disrupt and prevent crime by combining targeted intelligence with enhanced use of technology and specialist training was, after achieving significant successes across two county forces, recognised as a winner at the recent inaugural World Class Policing Awards sponsored by Accenture. In the third of 12 articles focusing on the award-winning nominations, Keith Potter takes a closer look at Operation Moonshot.

Analysis: The widespread bush fires in Australia have focused attention on how emergency services respond to large scale incidents caused by extreme weather. With incidents such as these set to become increasingly common, Policing Insight Contributor Andrew Staniforth looks at how the EU is tackling the threat to public safety posed by climate change.

Advertisement Feature: An entire case can hinge on the integrity of the evidence collected at the scene of a crime. Simple to use, cost effective Security Products make good evidence management more likely.

Analysis: The grooming of children is on the rise across England and Wales. Policing Insight Contributor Andrew Staniforth discusses this disturbing trend and considers how artificial intelligence is leading the fight against online grooming.

Analysis: Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures reveal areas of the North are becoming violent crime hot spots. Policing Insight Contributor Andrew Staniforth argues the rise cannot be entirely attributed to 'county lines' and a major rethink is needed on how forces tackle violent crime locally.

OPINION: First introduced in 1937, 999 is the world’s oldest emergency telephone service. It has undoubtedly saved many thousands of lives, but in an age where there are other forms of instant communication Carbyne's UK Vice President for Business Development Tim Ellis argues it's time for a step change in 999 capability.

Opinion: Whilst British policing has given much to the world, former chief police officer Paul Kennedy argues that it is now time for the UK to adopt 'Next Generation 999' that is already improving officer safety, as well as efficiency and effectiveness, in forces across the globe.

analysis: With ransomware attacks on the rise, Policing Insight contributor Andrew Staniforth examines how the cyber threat is expected to evolve in 2020 and how police and partner agencies face increasing challenges in protecting their data from both cyber criminals and their own staff.