Technology and equipment

Innovation: Domestic homicides in the UK have reached a five-year high. Lucy McDonald, SafeLives’ Programme Lead for Scotland, highlights the organisation's groundbreaking work with Police Scotland to train its officers to recognise the early warning signs of domestic abuse and safeguard victims earlier.

World Class Policing Awards: From missing people to reducing offending to fulfilling potential in the work place and fast-tracking detectives –  Policing Insight is delighted to publish a series of six weekly articles highlighting the 54 finalists for the inaugural World Class Policing Awards. We present the first nine in alphabetical order.

insight: UK police forces are unable to access the European Commission's Internal Security Fund - Police (ISF-P) which promotes safety and security in the EU, but Policing Insight contributor Andrew Staniforth explains there are other ways for forces to be involved in its vital work.

ANALYSIS: Investigating economic crime is a headache for law enforcement agencies and detection levels remain extremely low.  However, fully embracing crime script analysis as an investigative tool and a method of supporting preventative action could help reverse the trend, writes Dr Nicholas Gilmour from the University of Auckland.

OPINION: Machine learning has tremendous possibilities for the police. However, badly used, it could be as controversial as Stop and Search. Paul McFarlane, Senior Teaching Fellow in Security and Crime Science at UCL, argues that the police must avoid 'black box' systems to be accountable for the decisions that algorithms suggest.

Announcement: Following rigorous judging of over 100 UK and overseas entries to the inaugural World Class Policing Awards, the shortlist of nominations has now been finalised! See if your force has made the final cut.

analysis: Cybersecurity is one of the most important cross-national issues in the EU, with essential services at risk if it fails. Policing Insight contributor Andrew Staniforth says this is why effective and coordinated responses between EU member states are necessary - before and after Brexit.

Advertisement feature: Storing, processing, and sharing multimedia files is nothing new for law enforcement. But until recently, the volume of digital content such as video, images, and audio was relatively limited, making it easier to manage. Today, as the amount and type of content captured expands, digital evidence management is at risk of becoming an overwhelming undertaking.

ANALYSIS: The latest in our Report Watch series summarises the findings of a joint inspection by HMICFRS and HMICS into the arrangements surrounding how chief officers are selected and developed.

Opinion: Police forces gather vast amounts of data, but have yet to unlock the opportunities this presents in delivering business efficiency. Managing Consultant for the Home Affairs and Justice team at Capgemini Jamie Robinson outlines the key areas forces should consider if they are to exploit the full potential of their data.

Opinion: The announcement of 20,000 extra officers is welcome news, but Managing Partner for Chaucer Digital Richard Thwaite says the new officers must be supported by a huge investment in back-end technology.

INNOVATION: West Yorkshire Police's imaging team has developed an innovative approach to blending 3D laser scanning with CCTV imaging that has led to a raft of convictions. Mike Skicko from Leica Geosystems, which supplied the technology, explains how the process works.

INSIGHT: EXCLUSIVE: Kent's Chief Constable Alan Pughsley discusses his decision to issue Tasers to all police officers in the county - including, in a national first, to Special Constables, the first of whom are already undergoing training.

OPINION: Dissatisfaction with Police ICT is back in the news after Greater Manchester Police officers and staff voiced concerns about a major new system rolled out by the force. Former Greater Manchester Police ACC Ian Wiggett examines the challenges inherent in implementing a new police ICT system revealing that, regardless of the system, the grass isn't necessarily greener in other forces.

Analysis: In response to Professor Webster's article calling for an urgent debate on CCTV, former deputy CIO for the MPS and now Global Safety Adviser for Huawei Andrew Watson says the focus shouldn't be on the technology, but how the data is used. The views expressed in this article are Andrew's and do not necessarily reflect Huawei.

Analysis: Sopra Steria's Principal Consultant Benjamyn Damazer warns that Windows 7 is not fit for the demands of modern policing. Its more recent successor - Windows 10 - might meet policing requirements, but only if it is properly implemented.

analysis: Policing Insight contributor Andrew Staniforth lays out the opportunities that the Horizon 2020 European research fund presents for policing and urges Chief Officers and PCCs to seize their chance to apply for millions of euros of funding before the Brexit deadline of the 31 October.

Innovation: what3words is an app that allows users to pinpoint locations to within 3 square metres. Here, founder Chris Sheldrick talks about how police forces have been using the app to successfully find callers in areas that are typically hard to find.

analysis: Cybercriminals are turning their attentions to the healthcare industry. Medical technology and patients' records are increasingly under attack, but the Police Service of Northern Ireland's new Cyber Crime Unit is a step in the right direction to tackling this new threat, writes Policing Insight contributor Andrew Staniforth.

INTERVIEW: Police trials of Automated Facial Recognition (AFR) may be controversial, but they have recently received support from the Home Secretary. Surveillance Camera Commissioner Tony Porter explains to Policing Insight the challenge of understanding AFR accuracy and the dangers of ‘surveillance creep’ impacting upon civil liberties.

Opinion: Many forces still rely on the 'train the trainer' approach when teaching their workforce new skills, but Me Learning's Shirley Berry argues technology has moved on and now offers creative ways to train people quickly and more effectively.

Opinion: When Managing Director of Aerospace, Defence and Security at Sopra Steria UK Vern Davis joined two South Yorkshire Police officers on patrol, he was struck by how much time is spent in the station completing paperwork, but he says officers can only remain out on the streets if they and their vehicles are equipped with the right information and communications technology.

ANALYSIS: The latest in our Report Watch series summarises the findings of 'The Poor Relation - The police and CPS response to crimes against older people' which examines the response to older people who studies have shown are more likely to fear being the victims of crime than people in other age groups.

interview: This month, the Home Office launched new software to speed up online child abuse investigations and limit the number of indecent images police officers have to view. Benjamin Gancz, former Metropolitan Police detective and CEO of Qumodo, which was involved in developing the software, talks to Policing Insight about the potential impact of this new tool.