Technology and equipment

OPINION: New Zealand Police has established the world's first Evidence-Based Policing Service Centre. New Zealand Police’s Deputy Chief Executive Service Delivery Mark Evans OBE explains why it was set up and how Evidence-Based Policing is helping New Zealand 'be the safest country'.

analysis: The nature of crime is ever-changing and increasingly complex. The National Crime Agency has warned that, when it comes to innovation in policing, it is either sink or swim. Policing Insight contributor Andrew Staniforth urges the UK to look to the Netherlands as an example of innovation done well.

Advertorial: Innovation has always been a part of policing, but how do you harness it? Charlie de Rusett, co-founder of Idea Drop which provides a platform for forces to share innovative ideas, introduces the speakers at this month's Public Sector Innovation Summit 2019 who will offer tips and strategies on promoting innovation in your organisation.

ANALYSIS: The latest in our Report Watch series summarises the findings of a report by the National Appropriate Adult Network - There to Help 2 - which looks at the provision of appropriate adults for vulnerable adults who have been detained or interviewed by the police.

Opinion: Virtual courts have been heralded as a route to quicker and more effective justice, but Penelope Gibbs of Transform Justice says there is no support within policing to oversee the running of these courts.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: When Lincolnshire Police decided to transform their control room, they wanted a system that was a 'resolver of demand' rather than a conduit. Motorola Solutions' Mohammed Rafiq describes how the force's innovative approach to procurement and subsequent collaboration with Motorola helped the force achieve its aims.

OPINION: As a Founder Sponsor of the World Class Policing Awards and a long term supporter of policing in the UK and internationally, Sopra Steria are proud to be a part of celebrating all that is great in world class policing this year. Muz Janoowalla, Head of Emergency Services at Sopra Steria, shares some of his many stories demonstrating policing at its best.

Analysis: There have been nine reports and reviews of forensic science over the past decade, highlighting numerous problems. The latest House of Lord's report has described the quality and delivery of forensic provision as "inadequate". Keith Potter explores the ongoing issues facing this sector and what needs to change.

Advertisement Feature: Shape the future of public safety at Mission Critical Technologies 2019, the event addressing the global public safety market’s need to be quicker, smarter and more efficient at keeping citizens safe. In the build up to the event, Mission Critical Technologies has surveyed the top 100 public safety officers attending. Find out why they are attending and why you should too.

INSIGHT: Det Ch Supt Chris Todd is the West Midlands Police Head of Professional Standards and the NPCC Lead for Data Analytics. In this exclusive article for Policing Insight, he responds to recent press coverage suggesting that the West Midlands Police Ethics Committee had "raised the alarm" over the force's potential use of a 'predictive policing' tool.

Innovation: Lewis Westbury, a software developer for 15 years, a special constable for almost 10 and now founder and volunteer coordinator of Police Rewired, highlights several interesting pieces of research sourced in Crime Survey of England and Wales data, and the implications for developing practical tools in the fight against crime.

Opinion: Mobile data, interoperability, drones, evolving communications: just four of the key technology challenges facing policing right now. Ian Thompson, the CEO of the British Association of Public Communications Officers (BAPCO), looks at why it is so difficult to procure and implement solutions that deliver the benefits required.

Event announcement: Register your place at Innovate, a symposium of thought-leadership blended with hands-on training. A place to network with peers and learn from experts. A place to find out what’s on the horizon for police forces across Europe.

INSIGHT: The Police Foundation's recent report, Data-driven Policing and Public Value, highlights the fundamental importance of data to service delivery. Catherine Levin explores the findings of the report, including the benefits of identifying common areas of interest around data between police and fire.

Opinion: An increasing number of policing functions could easily be automated, but forces are too focused on police numbers. Former Deputy Chief Constable of North Yorkshire Paul Kennedy argues that budgets spent on recruiting more police officers should be redirected into embracing these new and emerging technologies.

Opinion: Remember a decade ago when Blackberry devices were all the rage and the iphone was only into its second generation? Simon Hall, CEO, Coeus Software, takes a look at how police technology has moved on since 2009 and where we might be in ten years time.

Opinion: Automatic facial recognition (AFR) systems can provide new ways to protect the public, but public support and reassurance rests on a transparent and robust regulatory framework governing its use, says Surveillance Camera Commissioner Tony Porter.

ANALYSIS: By 2020, 31 billion devices will be connected to the internet worldwide bringing with it a whole host of policing challenges, but increasingly police forces are rising to those challenges. The Police Foundation’s latest report showcases some of the innovative data-driven projects that happening both here in the UK and abroad.

Opinion: There has been a 40 per cent decline in intelligence analysts since 2010. Former GMP Assistant Chief Constable and now CoPaCC Director Ian Wiggett attended the National Intelligence Conference in Cardiff where he found local intelligence provision is coming under increasing pressure.

INNOVATION: Automatic Number Plate Recognition is already used to detect various crimes, but Birmingham University researchers have found that combining ANPR data with data on serial sex offences can generate vital new leads for investigators. Forensic Psychologist Professor Jessica Woodhams shares the findings of this award-winning* research.

OPINION: The emergence of County Lines demonstrates that criminals can operate beyond their usual geographical limits. However, police ICT struggles to do the same. Richard Helson, Customer Relationship Director at Chorus Intelligence calls for police to improve their agility by integrating better on a force-to-force basis.

ANALYSIS: The latest in our Report Watch series, which summarises the findings of reports that impact policing and includes responses from the main stakeholders as well as media reaction, takes a look at a briefing written for Civitas called: Ending Short Prison Sentences - An Amnesty for Thieves and Burglars?

INTERVIEW: New technology is accelerating the police service's ability to respond to the challenge of policing in a digital age, but Matthew Cooper, Global Offering Management Director at Hitachi Vantara tells Policing Insight the service should demand more from the different IT suppliers.

OPINION: Former Deputy Chief Constable of North Yorkshire Police and now an independent advisor on police and technology Paul Kennedy unpacks the challenges of digital evidence and asks if solution lies in greater automation through robotics.