Topical issues

GENERAL ELECTION 2019: With the General Election fast approaching, Professor Peter Joyce and Dr Wendy Laverick analyse the main political parties' view on crime and its causes, and how this has shaped the pledges they have made in their election manifestos.

NEW REPORT: CoPaCC publishes in-depth individual analyses of the police ICT provision in 10 police forces providing the largest response to the CoPaCC National Police ICT Survey in 2018. The 'Police ICT: Forces in Focus' reports are the latest in the CoPaCC Police ICT: User Perspectives series based on the Survey results. These reports are critical reading for anyone with an interest in improving police ICT provision.

Opinion: Last month, Sir George Hamilton, recently retired Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland, delivered a keynote address at the annual Police Foundation conference. Published here in full, Sir George explores what the Peelian principle - 'the police are the public and public are the police' - means for 21st century policing.

Opinion: The terror attack on London Bridge has revealed critical aspects of the UK's Counter Terrorism Strategy (CONTEST) are not working. Policing Insight Contributor Andrew Staniforth says the 'Pursue' element of CONTEST should be independently reviewed alongside all current terrorism legislation.

Opinion: Cybercrime is notoriously difficult to prevent and police. James Slessor, Managing Director of Accenture Public Safety, considers the complexities of digital policing across borders and the effectiveness of the current policing model in combating this.

Analysis: Professor Peter Joyce and Dr Wendy Laverick explore how hate crime has evolved since the Second World War, the impact of the more recent rise of far right extremism and the challenges facing policing in the current political climate.

ANALYSIS : Vigilante paedophile hunters are playing an increasingly mainstream role in the prosecution of perpetrators of child sexual exploitation. But how should the police deal with them? Dr Katerina Hadjimatheou of the University of Essex explores the benefits and the dangers of working with these controversial groups.

INTERVIEW: In an exclusive interview with Policing Insight, NPCC International Policing Lead and Chief Constable of Avon and Somerset Police Andy Marsh QPM highlights the crucial role of the Joint International Policing Hub in preventing crime reaching the UK and his ambitions for its future.

Analysis: New research on peoples' experiences of policing at anti-fracking protests has pointed to an increasing criminalisation of non-violent protest. One of the researchers, Dr Will Jackson, Senior Lecturer in Criminology at Liverpool John Moores University, explores the police's approach to protesters and the implications it has for police legitimacy.

Opinion: Kent Police Sergeant Darren Moor has just published the 'ultimate guide to health' for fellow officers and front-line civilian staff. Here he explains what motivated him to write How To Survive Your Police Career and the impact he is hoping it will have.

OPINION: While the focus of attention is on the upcoming general election, candidates for the next round of PCC elections are also becoming clear. Nina Champion, Director of the Criminal Justice Alliance, and Phil Bowen, Director of the Centre for Justice Innovation, look at how the race could affect criminal justice policy.

Interview: Technical Expert for Thekking* Steingrímur Fannar Stefánsson tells Policing Insight about an award-winning project to share sensitive digital evidence between the Reykjavik Metropolitan Police and the National University Hospital of Iceland.

Opinion: Last week, the policing world came together to celebrate the best of policing at the World Class Policing Awards 2019. techUK's Justice and Emergency Services Programme Manager Jessica Russell reflects on the evening and the importance of collaboration.

NEWS: PHOTO GALLERY: We are delighted to share pictures from a fantastic awards evening recognising and celebrating truly World Class Policing from the UK and around the world.

NEWS: Many congratulations to Devon and Cornwall Police's brilliant Operation Encompass which was chosen from a truly outstanding field of 54 finalists from police departments and forces from across the globe to be crowned overall winner at the inaugural World Class Policing Awards.

Analysis: As the Hong Kong demonstrations continue unabated, Military Historian and independent consultant Dr Jill Russell examines the historical context for the current disorder and the wider challenges of policing political protests.

INTERVIEW: The scale and cost of Police ICT makes it a highly risky venture with no guarantee of success so how does the police service embrace new and emerging technology without risking vast amounts of money? Policing Insight talks to Assistant Chief Officer Hacer Evans, Director of the Digital Policing Portfolio, about the 'Digital Policing Accelerator'.

OPINION: Though many new technology programmes introduced to policing have been plagued with difficulty, one recent programme has been met with overwhelming enthusiasm. Chief Inspector Martin Gallagher, Deputy Business Lead for Police Scotland's Mobile Working Project, describes its success.

Analysis: Police officers carrying firearms is an area that has undergone considerable legislative changes in Australia. Professor Rick Sarre, Dean of Law at the University of South Australia, examines what effect these changes have had on officer safety and public protection.

ANNOUNCEMENT: Policing Insight is delighted to announce plans to launch a brand-new series in the New Year called THE POLICE STUDENT to support the learning of thousands of new degree entry recruits joining the police service in England and Wales.

FEATURE: What is Evidence-Based Policing (EBP) and why is the College of Policing keen to incorporate this approach into police work? To coincide with the announcement of our forthcoming series, THE POLICE STUDENT, Policing Insight's Academic Editor Carina O'Reilly explores the shift towards Evidence-Based Policing and the value it potentially brings.

Analysis: Statistics can help improve the public's understanding of the demands on policing, but how do the media use statistics and how does this influence the public debate? Statistics Regulator for the Office for Statistics Regulation Lewis Jack discusses the findings of the OSR's Policing Review Phase Two Media Analysis.

analysis: The final paper in our series on Police and Crime Panels by Dr Roy Bailey explores the governance role of Police and Crime Panels and whether they are effective in holding Police and Crime Commissioners to account.

Opinion: In the third of three articles, former Australian police officer and public speaker Shane Mallory explores the notion of security in modern culture and what this means for our society.