Topical issues

Opinion: As the world reels from the death of George Floyd, Simon Bullock, Chair of the Dorset Police BAME Staff Support Network, argues that despite the significant differences in UK policing, there are some comparisons that might be made. 

OPINION: Policing Insight's publisher, Bernard Rix, considers what George Floyd's tragic and senseless death means for policing globally, and concludes that it's time for police chiefs worldwide to lead by example.

INSIGHT: AUSTRALIA: For the past two months, Policing Insight's Steve Watts has assisted the New South Wales Government in managing the security of those who have been quarantined during the lockdown on their return to Australia. Here, he gives a unique insight into how effectively NSW Police have quarantined thousands of people to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

FEATURE: In our continuing series aimed at supporting the new police degree entry recruits, Policing Insight's Academic Editor Carina O'Reilly outlines a second case study of evidence-based policing in practice - this time looking at neighbourhood-level interventions and how they work.

INNOVATION: The Centre for Justice Innovation has just published 'Pre-court diversion for adults: A toolkit for practitioners'. Head of Policy and Public Affairs Duncan Lugton tells Policing Insight how the toolkit will help create and develop these increasingly popular diversionary initiatives. 

Analysis: The police service has shifted direction in the last twelve months with the announcement of an extra 20,000 officers and the creation of a new National Policing Board. Deloitte's Frances Lysak explores the findings of their latest report on what this might mean for Police and Crime Commissioners.

ANNOUNCEMENT: Our Publisher, Bernard Rix, sets out how Policing Insight will continue to report on the national, regional and international policing responses to the pandemic, and renews his invitation to those others with policing insight on Coronavirus to get in touch, wherever they may be in the world.

Analysis: As part of his role in assessing the digital fitness of police forces to manage the growth of digital channels, Steve Norris, Police Market Director for Salesforce UK says recurring issues around transparency, the democratisation of data and the technical debt are holding some forces back.

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.

Opinion: Chair of Bedfordshire Community Scrutiny Panel Montell Neufville shares his concerns that lockdown measures have prevented panels from scrutinising the police use of Covid-19 powers which could undermine transparency and damage community relations.

Book Review: Former Met Commander John Sutherland's latest book - Crossing the Line - is billed as a love letter to police officers and those vulnerable people they protect and serve. CoPaCC Director Bernard Rix says the book is a riveting read that should be read by everyone in the policing family.

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: For the final article in our series on police workforce numbers in England & Wales, Ian Wiggett revisits his first article, which forecast likely officer numbers for each force in 2023, to take into account data just published by the Home Office that clarifies the calculations used to measure progress in recruiting the planned 20,000 uplift in officers.

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: Many countries are beginning to ease lockdown restrictions, but as the world charts a path out of the pandemic, the future remains uncertain for all including policing. Assistant Director of Strategic Foresight for the Australia New Zealand Policing Advisory Agency (ANZPAA) Mike Richmond examines the different post-pandemic 'scenarios' that law enforcement may be faced with in the coming months and years.

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.

ANALYSIS : The implications of the COVID-19 pandemic for policing are far-reaching. Dr Liz Aston, Director of the Scottish Institute for Policing Research (SIPR), explores some of them further, particularly from a Scottish perspective.

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.

BOOK REVIEW: Crisis communication strategies are all about processes and systems, but communications expert Amanda Coleman argues in her new book - Crisis Communication Strategies: How to Prepare in Advance, Respond Effectively and Recover in Full - the key to the success of any strategy is how people are treated.

Analysis: In the fourth article of our series looking at police workforce numbers in England and Wales, Ian Wiggett examines the current police funding formula and how it increases disparity between forces, impacting decisions, including recruitment.

Opinion: Since the Covid-19 lockdown began, knife crime has fallen significantly across the UK, but former gang member and founder of Gangsline Sheldon Thomas warns that the respite will be short-lived as this and other gang-related crime can only be tackled through societal change.

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.