Topical issues

analysis: Cybercriminals are turning their attentions to the healthcare industry. Medical technology and patients' records are increasingly under attack, but the Police Service of Northern Ireland's new Cyber Crime Unit is a step in the right direction to tackling this new threat, writes Policing Insight contributor Andrew Staniforth.

Book Review: Over 600 superintendents have benefited from workshops delivered by Jonathan Rees to equip them with the skills to survive and thrive in complex and extensive command environments. Jonathan has now taken his knowledge and expertise and distilled it into 'The Resilience Toolkit - Powerful ways to thrive in blue-light services' to help others succeed.

ANALYSIS: What's the best way of dealing with child sexual exploitation in practice? Kate Thomson, PhD researcher at Glasgow Caledonian University, offers a best practice model from her research with police and other practitioners in Scotland.

OPINION: Leslie Evans talks about the success of Scotland’s Violence Reduction Unit (SVRU) in bringing down crime rates in Scotland. She outlines why violent crime is not just a policing issue, and should be treated as 'something to be cured rather than punished.'

analysis: Leaveism - the practice of always being 'on the job' including checking emails 24/7 - is a growing habit for many. Senior Responsible Owner for the National Police Wellbeing Service Dr Ian Hesketh examines the effects of leaveism and the innovative approaches some companies have adopted to tackle it.

ANALYSIS: The latest in our Report Watch series summarises the findings of a briefing paper published by the End Violence Against Women Coalition (July 2019) which conducted research into 42 Police and Crime Plans to examine the response of Police and Crime Commissioners in England and Wales towards violence against women and girls.

INTERVIEW: Police trials of Automated Facial Recognition (AFR) may be controversial, but they have recently received support from the Home Secretary. Surveillance Camera Commissioner Tony Porter explains to Policing Insight the challenge of understanding AFR accuracy and the dangers of ‘surveillance creep’ impacting upon civil liberties.

ANALYSIS: The latest in our Report Watch series summarises the findings of 'The Poor Relation - The police and CPS response to crimes against older people' which examines the response to older people who studies have shown are more likely to fear being the victims of crime than people in other age groups.

interview: This month, the Home Office launched new software to speed up online child abuse investigations and limit the number of indecent images police officers have to view. Benjamin Gancz, former Metropolitan Police detective and CEO of Qumodo, which was involved in developing the software, talks to Policing Insight about the potential impact of this new tool.

Long Read: Former UK police officer and now Research Fellow at Western Sydney University Alan Beckley has analysed the findings of over 60 different studies of body-worn cameras (BWC) providing an insight into the different perspectives on their effectiveness in gathering evidence, lowering police rates of use of force and violence towards the police.

insight: The phrase “80% of what the police do has nothing to do with fighting crime” is often bandied about, but where does it come from and is it accurate? Statistic Regulator for the Office for Statistics Regulation Lewis Jack discusses the OSR's review of the value of police statistics in promoting public understanding of policing.

Interview: EXCLUSIVE: Merseyside Chief Constable Andy Cooke talks to Policing Insight about why forces need to increase their use of Stop and Search, why fighting serious and organised crime needs large scale investment and what it is that keeps him awake at night.

ANALYSIS: With Lincolnshire Police beginning a Judicial Review against the College of Policing, the controversy over the new police entry routes, the PEQF, shows no sign of abating. Dr Emma Williams and Jack Chapman (research assistant) of Canterbury Christ Church University examine the operational readiness of forces for the new qualification requirements.

NEWS: The closing date for the inaugural World Class Policing Awards 2019 recognising excellence in policing has now passed and the organisers say they have been overwhelmed by the quality and diversity of the nominations.

Opinion: On the day the Home Office published the Frontline Review on officers' views, including wellbeing, at the Police Federation's headquarters, CEO of PoliceBox Simon Hall happened to be there holding a workshop on police ICT with frontline officers. Their message, he says, was clear - reduce bureaucracy by improving police ICT and wellbeing will improve too.

Analysis: The Independent Terrorism Legislation Reviewer faces increasingly complex terrorist threats, from home-grown extremists to the full scale of international terrorism. Policing Insight Contributor Andrew Staniforth looks at the history of the role and the demands the new Independent Reviewer will face, especially as they relate to policing.

ANALYSIS: The latest in our Report Watch series summarises the findings of the State of Policing report by HMCIC Sir Thomas Winsor which gives an overview of the current situation in policing in England and Wales.

News: EXCLUSIVE: Lincolnshire's Chief Constable Bill Skelly is mounting a legal challenge against the College of Policing over the new degree entry scheme that could reduce the force's frontline by 40 officers or 10 per cent of its deployable strength. Policing Insight reports.

Opinion: The Home Office has published its much-anticipated Frontline Review, but the service has seen many reviews many of which have resulted in little change so what's different about this one? Policing Insight's Editor Tina Orr-Munro takes a look.

Opinion: The forces that have been trialling live facial recognition (LFR) technology in the UK have been closely monitored by the Information Commissioner's Office. While forces have legitimate reasons to use LFR, Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham says there are privacy and data protection issues that still need to be addressed.

Insight: Scrutiny is an essential element of effective police governance, but how do you implement a process that is open and wide-ranging and genuinely supports improvement in a force? Policy and Assurance Advisor for Dyfed-Powys OPCC Claire Bryant and the OPCC team have introduced a new scrutiny framework that aims to do just that.

analysis: Ten years ago, a WHO report urged governments to look at long-term social policy solutions to knife crime rather than view it as a policing issue. With a number of cities in the UK in the grip of a knife crime epidemic, Policing Insight contributor Andrew Staniforth explains how this can be achieved.

ANNOUNCEMENT: As official media partner of the World Class Policing Awards 2019, Policing Insight is delighted to announce the nominations for this year's awards are now OPEN UNTIL FRIDAY, 12th JULY 2019 - a week's extension of the original deadline. Get your nominations in NOW!

Analysis: The government has proposed legislation banning police cells as a place of safety for those detained under the Mental Health Act 1983, but with just 163 health-based places available and over 30,000 people detained under the Act, Daniel Moloney of the Institute for Public Safety, Crime and Justice at Northampton University examines the impact the legislation could have on policing.