Topical issues

Analysis: Professor Karl Roberts examines the statistics on police suicide in Australia and considers how both workplace culture and stress can prove harmful to police officers' mental health.

Insight: Rogue drone incursions are a serious threat to football stadiums. With football currently either suspended or played behind close doors, Policing Insight contributor Andrew Staniforth says now is the time to consider a counter-drone strategy and explore the available anti-drone technology.

Analysis: Already a serious problem for society, domestic abuse in all its forms has been exacerbated by the lockdown. Policing commentator Mark Brown says now is the time to implement a nationwide strategy similar CONTEST, the Government's counter-terror strategy, to tackle this 'epidemic within the pandemic'.

OPINION: In the light of George Floyd's death at the hands of police officers in Minneapolis USA, UK West Midlands Police Chief Constable, Dave Thompson QPM, compares UK and US policing, and explains why he is "convinced we have not moved far enough" on policing diverse societies.

Interview: The COVID-19 crisis has impacted upon police forces across the world. Vice Dean of the Police College of the Republic of Croatia Assistant Professor Ruža Karlović tells Policing Insight how the active engagement in community policing research and innovation with European police partners has supported the organisation and delivery of COVID-19 emergency measures to local communities.

ANALYSIS: The tragic death of George Floyd while in the custody of officers from the Minneapolis police department in US highlights the differences between US and UK policing but a common issue is the under representation of black and minority ethnic (BAME) in their ranks. Dr Daniel Silverstone and Dominique Walker from Liverpool John Moores University discuss the progress of improving diversity in UK policing.

OPINION: The death of George Floyd in the United States, following restraint by police officers, has cast a global spotlight on police use of force. Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson sets out how he and his OPCC team oversee and scrutinise the work of West Midlands Police, thus seeking to retain confidence in policing amongst all local communities.

Job advertisement: Police Lecturer vacancies at Babcock International for their new flagship contract partnering with several Higher Education Institutes across London to deliver the new Metropolitan Police Service Policing Education Qualifications Framework (PEQF) framework.

Analysis: The Covid-19 outbreak has brought collaboration between agencies sharply into focus. Ian Blackhurst, Executive Director Safety at Northgate Public Services, sets out how the police and partners can connect better to ensure safer communities and lessen the chance of victims falling through the net.

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.