Topical issues

INNOVATION: In the latest in a series of articles exploring the opportunities and challenges presented to police by the rapid growth of artificial intelligence (AI), Chief Philip Lukens explores the options and opportunities for introducing a risk matrix for AI policies in police departments that can ensure transparency, accountability, and public trust.

ANALYSIS: The recent signing of an EU convention on artificial intelligence (AI) brought the full implementation of the EU AI Act a step closer; but as Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth reports, exceptions to the regulations called for by European police chiefs have been agreed in principle by legislators, and should reflect the need to respect the confidentiality of sensitive operational data.

FEATURE: In the first in a new chapter in The Police Student series, Policing Insight Academic Editor Dr Carina O'Reilly sets out the key issues for this chapter – how our criminal justice system works, why it works the way that it does, is it fulfilling its purposes, and why that matters for student police officers.

FEATURE: The early release of 2,000 prisoners in England and Wales sparked a furore in the media which pointed to a criminal justice system on its knees, but many of those within the system know it has long been failing victims, witnesses and defendants; despite the challenges, Leicestershire Chief Constable Rob Nixon, the National Police Chiefs’ Council Lead for Criminal Justice, told delegates at the recent Police Superintendents’ Association conference that there is cause for optimism, as Policing Insight’s Tina Orr Munro reports.

INTERVIEW: Former Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner and National Police Chief’s Council Lead for Counter-Terrorism Policing Neil Basu QPM is one of the country’s most outspoken former senior cops; in the final part of a series of interviews with Policing Insight’s James Sweetland, he discussed institutional racism – what chief constables really think about this contentious label, the “utterly ineffective and utterly ignored” Police Race Action Plan, and why taking on neo-Nazi group National Action was one of his “proudest moments” in policing.

ANALYSIS: A recent article in the Journal of Contemporary Ethnography shared the personal experiences of a senior police officer (‘Phil Corkhill’, a pseudonym) rejoining their force from a College of Policing secondment during Covid-19, and highlighted how leaders often conform to authoritarian and potentially damaging leadership approaches; in this article, University of Portsmouth Criminology Professor Dr Sarah Charman (who co-authored the original piece) explores the issues around prevailing management cultures and the ‘appearance over substance’ concerns of ‘leadership theatre’.

ANALYSIS: Speaking during the widespread UK disorder over the summer, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer referred to a ‘standing army’ of public order trained police officers ready to deal with future incidents; but Policing Insight’s Graham Wettone, a former Met Police public order specialist, says shift patterns, the loss of experienced officers and the costs of kit and training mean public order resources are under significant strain – although there are options to improve the policing response.

OPINION: The recent disorder and political violence across the UK has seen increased levels of fear among many migrant communities, as well as reduced access to services and support networks; Liverpool John Moores University Policing Lecturer James Williams believes that policing has an important role to play in reassuring those communities, as well as building relationships and improving engagement with marginalised groups.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: Explore the key challenges and solutions in the recruitment, career progression and retention of female staff, including tackling the additional barriers facing women with further protected characteristics.

ANALYSIS: New research from the University of Liverpool working with three English police forces has highlighted that officers’ unmanageable workloads, insufficient training and lack of understanding of digitally enabled coercive control are leading to missed opportunities in investigating potential perpetrators and protecting victim-survivors, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

FEATURE: Last week’s Global Evidence-Based Policing (EBP) Conference, supported by Policing Insight as media partner, saw pioneers of the evidence-based approach gather in Melbourne to share insights and best practice, as well as signing a new memorandum of understanding between EBP societies in six countries that could lay the foundations for greater global collaboration and co-operation, as Policing Insight’s Keith Potter reports.

FEATURE: The effect of tiredness and lack of sleep on motorists’ driving ability has long been recognised by police, but less attention has been focused on the effect of fatigue on police officers themselves; Chief Inspector Dr Yvonne Taylor of the National Police Wellbeing Service explores the impact of insufficient sleep particularly on shift working police officers, and what resource are available to officers and supervisors to address the issue.

ANALYSIS: Every seven minutes a child is faced with harmful online content but as the threat grows, law enforcement is still playing catch up in its awareness of the risk the Metaverse poses to child safety. Policing Insight's Contributing Editor Sarah Gibbons reports on new research led by Professors Julia Davidson of the University of East London and Elena Martellozzo of Middlesex University that is seeking to redress the balance.

ANALYSIS: While a recent raise in the terror threat level has increased awareness among Australians about the domestic terror threat, John Coyne and Justin Bassi of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) warn that Australia’s diminishing role in international counter-terrorism (CT), coupled with uncertainty over CT responsibility and resources at government level, is exposing Australian citizens to greater risk.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: Faced with digital evidence management challenges, South Yorkshire Police Force launched its Technology Enabled Change initiative to find a solution. The force initiated a competitive procurement process, and after lengthy vetting, selected NICE Investigate to help in their quest to digitally transform investigations and evidence management.

INTERVIEW: Former Met Assistant Commissioner and NPCC Lead for CT Policing Neil Basu QPM is one of the country’s most outspoken former senior cops; in the second part of an extended interview series with Policing Insight’s James Sweetland, he gave his reflections on the Met today – how early access to the excoriating Casey Review left him “in tears”, a personal insight into Mark Rowley the “blue sky” thinker and “reformer”, and his perception of “poor leadership in policing, from top to bottom.”

FEATURE: A mental wellbeing programme that emphasises the psychological impact of organisational stress on mental health is being rolled out in an Australian police agency. Policing Insight's Contributing Editor Sarah Gibbons reports.

ANALYSIS: Football and other public order events inevitability lead to officers being drafted in from other units but research undertaken by Keele University's Dr Mike Hope, Project Leader for ENABLE UK, and Professor Clifford Stott as part of the ENABLE project reveals how greater use of Operational Football Officers reduces abstraction rates as well as disorder and anti-social behaviour.

ANALYSIS: Despite recent negative media headlines and a lack of recognition from politicians and campaigners, evidence shows that diversion and out-of-court resolutions in the UK are usually more effective than court sanctions in reducing offending; Fionnuala Ratcliffe, Research and Policy Lead for Transform Justice, explains how and why out-of-court resolutions are used, and invites forces to take part in new research on the issue.

ANALYSIS: Animal cruelty is recognised in the US as both a potential predictor of intimate partner violence, and as a way to perpetrate that violence; research by Professor Lynn Addington of the American University found that intimate partner violence incidents involving animal cruelty are more likely to end with an arrest, reiterating the importance of expanding intimate partner violence protection laws to include pets, and the need for strong partnerships between police and humane law enforcement departments.

FEATURE: Crucial to defending the UK against the threat of terrorist attack has been the relationship between policing and the Security Service, a unique collaboration that has existed for more than a century and that as a counter-terrorism approach is the envy of many other countries, as Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth explains.

INNOVATION: New 360-degree camera technology is enabling jurors, lawyers and investigators to get a better, more immersive understanding of crime scenes, while also providing video tours with audio commentary to explain key locations of interest, as DC Simon Chamberlain explained to Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons.

INTERVIEW: Former Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner and National Police Chief’s Council Lead for Counter-Terrorism Policing Neil Basu QPM is one of the country’s most outspoken former senior cops; in the first of a three-part interview series with Policing Insight’s James Sweetland, he called on the new Government to “bin the 43-force model”, argued that the police and crime commissioner (PCC) model has proven a “disaster”, and talked about the “embarrassing deficit” in leadership training for future top cops.

OPINION: The August Bank Holiday weekend saw huge crowds at the Notting Hill Carnival, and while many were there to celebrate, others were intent on violence, with eight stabbings, two fatalities, more than 50 police officers injured, and 334 arrests; former police officer Oliver Laurence, now Managing Director of the Public Safety Foundation, believe it’s time to take a new approach to making the event safer.