Topical issues

INSIGHT: Staffordshire is one of the few forces that has successfully pressed ahead with merging police and fire governance. With Phase 1 now complete, Senior Project Manager Richard Battams and Staffordshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Matthew Ellis offer a unique insight into the process and what has been achieved so far.

ANALYSIS : Despite public concern, sex offenders cannot remain imprisoned indefinitely; but many schemes do little to rehabilitate such offenders. Jamie Walvisch, Monash University; Kelly Richards, Queensland University of Technology, and Lorana Bartels, Australian National University look at what works to protect the community.

Opinion: In this insightful and thought-provoking blog, Dr Dev Maitra of the University of Suffolk examines the riots that took place in the UK in 2011 and how the subsequent under analysis of what happened hampers our understanding of serious youth violence.

Interview: Social media provides a powerful tool for police to communicate with communities but criminal justice media expert Lauri Stevens tells Policing Insight police forces are not harnessing the full potential of online networks.

NEWS: Each week, Policing Insight publishes details of the finalists in this year's World Class Policing Awards sponsored by Accenture. This week, the brilliant nominees include an operation that has led to the arrest of thousands of drug dealers, a first aid programme for frontline officers that has already saved 15 lives and a telematics fleet system that ensures optimal use of vehicles.

Analysis: Police Scotland’s efforts to address concerns and potential weaknesses in policing football across the country have been given strong backing by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland (HMICS). Policing Insight's Keith Potter examines the details.

Opinion: Policing is in need of a drastic cultural shift away from its current process and control driven state. Former Australian police officer and now public speaker Shane Mallory discusses the fear and suspicion that currently plagues police culture and how to address it.

Analysis: The Police Innovation Fund was introduced in 2013 and replaced by the Police Transformation Fund in 2016, but how successful has it been in bringing the latest innovation and technology to police forces? Policing Insight contributor Andrew Staniforth argues the time is now right for a full evaluation.

NEWS: Each week, Policing Insight publishes details of the finalists in this year's World Class Policing Awards sponsored by Accenture. This week, the brilliant nominees include an operation to foil an attempt to kill the UK Prime Minister, a project to better support children exposed to domestic abuse and a highly complex investigation that resulted in the conviction of a major organised crime group.

analysis: Independent police and crime panel members are generally younger, more diverse, better skilled and more representative of their communities. In his fourth paper, based on his research into police and crime panels, Dr Roy Bailey evaluates the effectiveness of independent panel members.

ANALYSIS : A new law passed in New Zealand promises to decriminalise drug use in favour of a public health approach. Prof. Max Abbott, Auckland University of Technology, argues that the move is a positive step towards addressing the real impact of drugs - so long as it doesn’t get lost in translation.

Interview: Release's Y-Stop project is by young people for young people, supporting and guiding them on communicating effectively with the police during a Stop and Search. Youth Lead and Associate Researcher Amal Ali talks to Policing Insight about the project and why it's important young people have a voice.

ANALYSIS : With extreme weather and Brexit dominating the headlines, it might seem sensible for emergency planners to advise people on what to do in a crisis. But when Police Scotland did just that with their #grabbag tweet, it got all the wrong kind of attention. Dan Slee, co-founder of comms2point0, examines the fallout.

NEWS: To coincide with World Mental Health Day (10 Oct), the Police Superintendents' Association has published details of their latest resilience survey which reveals a worrying long-hours culture, rising workloads and high levels of stress and anxiety.

FEATURE: Each week, Policing Insight is publishing details of the finalists in this year's World Class Policing Awards sponsored by Accenture. This week, our outstanding nominations include a mobile technology project that has freed up over half a million officer hours a year and an intelligence officer whose work targeting online child abuse has led to 270 arrests.

Opinion: The high-profile case of a 15 year-old convicted of trying to build a bomb has highlighted the importance of early intervention to combat extremism, via the Government's Prevent strategy. Policing Insight contributor Andrew Staniforth outlines the tension between free speech and trust in the classroom and the importance of preventing the ever-increasing radicalisation of young people.

Opinion: Health and wellbeing are high on the agenda with many forces looking for ways to offer better support for their employees. Simon Hall, CEO of PoliceBox, says a significant stressor is poor technology. Here he examines its impact on officers' and staff health and wellbeing.

Innovation: Domestic homicides in the UK have reached a five-year high. Lucy McDonald, SafeLives’ Programme Lead for Scotland, highlights the organisation's groundbreaking work with Police Scotland to train its officers to recognise the early warning signs of domestic abuse and safeguard victims earlier.

FEATURE: Each week, in the lead up to the inaugural World Class Policing Awards sponsored by Accenture in November, Policing Insight will be publishing details of the 54 finalists. This week, the outstanding nominations include a police cadet scheme for adults with learning difficulties, a new mobile fingerprint reader, a drink awareness project in Australia and many more.

INNOVATION: "Wellbeing Vans" are now being offered to police officers and staff across forces in England and Wales giving them fast and easy access to a range of physical, psychological and financial 'healthchecks'. Oscar Kilo's Digital Resource and Engagement Officer Jenna Flanagan updates Policing Insight on their progress.

OPINION: The number of rapes reported has soared but convictions are at an all-time low. Ian Wiggett highlights the challenges of a Crown Prosecution Service under pressure, growing demands of disclosure in a digital world and police forces struggling with demand and a shortage of resources.

ANNOUNCEMENT: The World Class Policing Awards are pleased to announce that Accenture have enhanced their support for the awards by becoming the lead sponsor of the inaugural 2019 event.

Analysis: Following the publication of her research into Intimate Partner Homicides, Dr Jane Monckton-Smith outlines the eight stages of escalation that result in an Intimate Partner Homicide, demonstrating this is a highly predictable crime and debunking the traditional "crime of passion" narrative that often surrounds it.

ANALYSIS: The Whaley Bridge crisis could have been a disaster - but strong communications work by the emergency services helped keep a community together. Dan Slee, co-founder of comms2point0, looks at the social media effort to show where it all went right.