Technology and equipment

Analysis: Following catastrophic bush fires in 2009 which killed 173 people, Australia implemented a mobile phone alert system so the emergency services could directly contact and advise the public during a major incident. The system has already saved lives and has now been implemented in other countries, so why not the UK?

OPINION: With the College of Policing's Continuing Professional Development week coming up in November, Rich Honess of Canterbury Christ Church University surveys the landscape of policing CPD, and asks what police officers would really like to see provided - and how.

INSIGHT: The Dutch National Police issued its officers and staff with 63,000 smartphones. The move opened up opportunities to complete tasks more quickly, but also to do things differently. Commissaris van politie and Mobile Programme Manager Edwin Delwel says mobile technology can be a game-changer for policing, if implemented well.

ANALYSIS: With the use of automated facial recognition technology under challenge, video surveillance specialist Cloudview asked leading cyberlaw academic Professor Andrew Charlesworth to assess the regulatory position. His report concludes that an independent review is the only way forward if the technology is to be used without alienating the public.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: There are plenty of generic scheduling solutions that work great for organisations with simple shift patterns or your typical 9-5. InTime’s mission is to provide advanced scheduling and workforce management tools for complex organisations that don’t fit that mould.

ANALYSIS: The way ambulance services use social media has lessons for police - particularly in their focus on the humanity of paramedics. Dan Slee of comms2point0 looks at the best of ambulance service communications and what other blue light services can learn.

SPOTLIGHT ON: Policing Insight has over a thousand in depth articles on a wide range of policing issues. In our SPOTLIGHT ON series we group articles under one subject heading allowing you quick and easy reference when you need it. Here, we tackle spit guards or hoods which have recently returned to the spotlight following the MPS' decision not to issue them to frontline officers.

OPINION: With increasing pressure on police both from budget cuts and rising crime, how can forces best adapt? Giovanni Gaccione of Genetec Ltd calls for a focus on connecting up existing technologies, breaking down silos, and tapping into the vast array of information already available.

OPINION: With police forces in the U.S. and elsewhere investing widely in technology solutions to tackle crime, James R. Sisco argues that an approach blending technology, data, and human understanding is required to deliver strategies that rebuild trust and set the conditions necessary for policing techniques to be effective.

Opinion: Hoax calls are the bane of the emergency services. One force alone received 1,333 such calls in 2017, but how do you stop callers wasting precious police time and resources? Kathryn Jeffrey of APD Communications offers a solution to the problem.

OPINION: Allan Fairley, UK Police & Justice Managing Director for Accenture, works with a range of public sector, police and justice clients. In his latest article, Allan provides his thoughts on how robotics and automation can help officers and staff have more time for engaging with their communities.

INSIGHT: Artificial intelligence (AI) is already being used by investigators but its role in policing is poorly understood, both inside the community and in society at large. Clare Elford Managing Director of Clue, sheds some light on this increasingly important tool

Q&A: Analytical and data processing software firm Forensic Analytics is the latest company to collaborate with The Police ICT Company, having recently been recognised on its Vendor Management Programme. Forensic Analytics Managing Director and co-founder Joe Hoy  gives his insight into the challenges facing policing in this space and how the collaboration with The Police ICT Company has simplified the procurement process.

Long Read: In the second of our three-part series on cyber crime and its effects on  UK policing, CEO and co-founder of Cyber Security Intelligence Alfred Rolington offers a detailed insight into the current cyber crime landscape and how UK policing is managing the threat.

ANALYSIS: The scale of the challenge involved in protecting the UK's borders is unprecedented. Professor Babak Akhgar of Sheffield Hallam University explains how the work of Project ROBORDER - testing innovative surveillance technologies - could help border security address emerging threats.

POLICE ICT USER SURVEY: Two weeks left to go for UK police officers and staff to share their views and experiences of ICT provision in their force by taking part in the National Police ICT User Survey - a huge opportunity to help police decision makers and the supplier community improve the provision of ICT.

Opinion: Sharing big data holds enormous potential for policing, but it's a journey the fire service embarked on some years ago. Evan Morris MBE, former Head of Community Safety for Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service and the Chief Fire Officers' Association lead on Ageing Safely Strategy outlines the fire services experience and the benefits to be had.

ANALYSIS: Accenture’s 2018 Technology Vision research has identified five key technology trends that have the potential to transform policing and public safety. James Slessor, Managing Director of Accenture Public Safety, explains the findings.

ANALYSIS: Body-worn video cameras (BWC) are increasingly standard issue in British police forces, with a range of potential benefits. Stuart Lister of the University of Leeds outlines findings from recent research into the use of BWCs in domestic abuse incidents - and how the benefits of BWCs may be limited by organisational constraints.

OPINION: Business Lead for Digital Policing for West Yorkshire Police Chief Inspector Ian Williams explores his force's digital transformation and what a difference the right application can make to frontline policing.

Opinion: Giles Herdale, co-chair of the Independent Digital Ethics Panel for Policing (IDEPP), explains the importance of ethics in digital policing and the role of the panel in ensuring forces factor ethics into their digital policing programmes from the outset.

SPOTLIGHT ON: Policing Insight has over a thousand in depth articles on a wide range of policing issues. SPOTLIGHT ON is a new series which groups articles under one subject heading allowing you quick and easy reference when you need it. Here, we tackle facial recognition technology which recently hit the headlines raising questions and concerns as to its role in policing.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: There are plenty of generic scheduling solutions that work great for organisations with simple shift patterns or your typical 9-5. InTime’s mission is to provide advanced scheduling and workforce management tools for complex organisations that don’t fit that mould.

OPINION: The will to share data in policing exists, but the mechanisms to do so remain unwieldy. Boyd Mulvey, CEO of Chorus Intelligence, argues that removing the barriers demonstrates what can be achieved and will encourage greater sharing.