Topical issues

Analysis: The latest in our Report Watch series summarises the recent PEEL Spotlight publication - Diverging under pressure - which provides an overview of the 2018/19 PEEL inspections alongside emerging themes for police forces in England and Wales.

FEATURE: In our continuing series aimed at supporting the new police degree entry recruits, Policing Insight's Academic Editor Carina O'Reilly delves deeper into Evidence-Based Policing (EBP) in the context of 'what works'.

Interview: As cyber crime activity continues to rise across Europe, former Chief Inspector of the Croatian Police Jelena Levak explains to Policing Insight the cyber security challenges for policing, and the impact upon law enforcement agencies in Croatia and across the European Member States.

Opinion: Procedural justice refers to how the public's interaction with police officers shapes their view of the police and their willingness to obey the law. Bedfordshire Police Stop and Search Panel Chair Montell Neufville says that, given its potential to reduce crime, procedural justice is relevant to all areas of policing.

OPINION: Professor Herman Goldstein, the pioneer of Problem-orientated policing (POP), passed away recently. His contribution to policing spans more than five decades and its impact has been felt across the globe. Professor Gloria Laycock OBE, from the Jill Dando Institute, UCL, pays tribute to Professor Goldstein and how he changed our understanding of policing.

Opinion: Despite the Good Friday Agreement, dissident violence still poses a threat to peace in Northern Ireland. Policing Insight Contributor Andrew Staniforth reminds us of the devastating impact of previous IRA campaigns and the present-day factors that could fuel a resurgence in violence.

SPOTLIGHT ON THE WINNERS: A highly complex digital forensic investigation by a UK police team, which helped to crack a global cyber attack against thousands of targets including Sony’s Playstation network, was recognised as a winner at the recent inaugural World Class Policing Awards sponsored by Accenture. In the fifth of twelve articles focusing on the award-winning nominations, Keith Potter takes a closer look at Operation Polarity.

Interview: The globalisation of crime is impacting on law enforcement agencies across the world. Dr Borislav Mavrov from the European Institute in Bulgaria shares with Policing Insight the challenges faced by Bulgarian agencies, what measures are being taken and how UK policing can help.

Opinion: The search for additional savings in policing is becoming increasingly difficult, but the newly-formed BlueLight Commercial is set to transform policing's commercial capability increasing cashable savings and income generation. Chair of the National Commercial Board and Police and Crime Commissioner for Kent Matthew Scott outlines the benefits BlueLight Commercial will deliver.

ANNOUNCEMENT: As official media partner of the World Class Policing Awards 2020, Policing Insight is delighted to announce the nominations for this year's awards are now OPEN!

OPINION: The UK's first ever National Policing Digital Strategy was launched at the recent Police ICT Summit. Director of the National Enabling Programmes and Chair of the National Police Technology Council Wayne Parkes explores the reasons for the strategy, its ambitions, and how it can be delivered.

NEWS: The use of Artificial Intelligence in policing has raised concerns in some quarters. With the Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation due to publish a new ethical framework for AI in policing in the coming months, its Executive Director Ollie Buckley says public trust will be vital to its success.

FEATURE: In the first of our new series aimed at supporting the new police degree entry recruits, Policing Insight's Academic Editor Carina O'Reilly explores the different policing approaches and the drivers for the shift towards Evidence-Based Policing (EBP).

Analysis: This May, in England and Wales, the public will go to the polls to elect their local Police and Crime Commissioner. Professor Peter Joyce and Dr Wendy Laverick examine the lessons to be learnt from the previous two elections in 2012 and 2016 and what prospective candidates are likely to focus on in 2020.

Analysis: As UK police are set to receive new powers to tackle the problem of illegal drone activity, Policing Insight contributor Andrew Staniforth examines the risks drones pose to our safety and security and the wider work happening to counteract them.

Analysis: Lord Carlile's removal as the independent reviewer of the counter-terror Prevent strategy following a legal challenge has left the Government in a difficult position. With just eight months until the Review must, by law, be completed and its findings shared, Policing Insight contributor Andrew Staniforth explores the challenges ahead.

Analysis: Last week's police funding settlement - the biggest increase in police funding for a decade - has been welcomed by many in the service. While the headline figures are impressive, former Assistant Chief Constable and now CoPaCC Director Ian Wiggett takes a closer look and finds some questions still need to be answered.

SPOTLIGHT ON THE WINNERS: A force-wide initiative to equip officers with smartphones and develop apps that maximise the benefits of mobile working was recognised as a winner at the recent inaugural World Class Policing Awards sponsored by Accenture. In the fourth of twelve articles focusing on the award-winning nominations, Keith Potter takes a closer look at the New Zealand Police Mobility Programme.

Opinion: With police forces across the UK now faced with the task of recruiting an additional 20,000 officers, Policing Insight Contributor Andrew Staniforth says the service should seize the opportunity to recruit more creative thinkers for the benefit of policing.

INSIGHT: This week’s Police ICT Summit will see suppliers, police buyers and stakeholders discuss current challenges and develop solutions. But where are the voices of the end users in this process? And could a greater focus on user experience help to solve existing challenges as well as develop more effective long-term solutions?

OPINION: The annual Police ICT Summit takes place this week in Manchester, bringing together the key players who can together agree and deliver a roadmap for police ICT across England and Wales. Policing Insight Publisher Bernard Rix calls on those at the Summit to focus on finding common ground, rather than emphasising their differences.

Insight: With the annual Police ICT Summit set to take place this week in Manchester, Policing Insight asked senior police leaders, police suppliers and stakeholders for their views on the biggest challenges for Police ICT and what they are hoping to see emerge from this year's conference.

opinion: There are 43 Home Office ‘funded’ police forces in England and Wales out of a total of around 50 law enforcement agencies across the United Kingdom. Darren Scates, Chief Technology Officer for the Metropolitan Police Service, offers his personal view on how to deliver technology more effectively in this distributed environment, and asks: "Can we increase the success rate of projects and programmes?"

opinion: Dialling 999 remains the traditional way to contact the police in an emergency, but with demand rising and the public increasingly turning to messaging apps, could chatbots offer policing an affordable alternative to managing demand? Futr A.I.'s Client Services Director Martin Scoble explores the chatbots' potential.