Topical issues

NEWS: A new research network for London has been launched, encompassing four major metropolitan universities. Dr Sarah Fox explains the vision for the new network and how police forces and other agencies can get involved.

OPINION: The latest crime figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) offer a grim outlook on the state of criminal justice in England and Wales. Almost as if to head off criticism, the bulletin starts: “Over recent decades, we’ve seen continued falls in overall levels of crime but in the last year the trend has […]

INSIGHT: Assaults against staff at Ashworth High Security Hospital cost the NHS nearly £400,000 in 2011. In her presentation to this year's Mental Health and Policing Conference, Merseyside Detective Constable and Mental Health Investigator Samantha Keaton explained the importance of prosecuting offenders detained in a mental health facility. Syreeta Lund reports.

INTERVIEW: New Zealand's crime rate has decreased drastically in recent years after the police commissioner shifted the focus from prosecution to prevention. Mary Calam, a senior expert in McKinsey’s London office, and Roland Dillon, an associate partner in McKinsey's Melbourne office, interviewed New Zealand Police Commissioner Mike Bush on how the force achieved this remarkable transformation.

INSIGHT: Fifteen European Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) have built a unique platform to create and share innovative solutions. Policing Insight contributor and Senior Research Fellow at CENTRIC Andrew Staniforth explains the importance of developing new ways to tackle technology-driven transnational crime.

Analysis: The Draft EU Withdrawal Agreement has finally been published and agreed by the Cabinet, but, while the political fall out continues, what does it mean for UK policing?

Project Galileo: Project Galileo represents a fundamental rethink of how we can make a difference to tackling harm on our roads. The fourth instalment in the Galileo series sees Conrad Evans, a partner at The Digital Quarter, talk about how we must harness the power of digital technology to reduce risk on the road and bring communities together to create the changes they want to see on our roads.

INTERVIEW: University of East London (UEL) journalism students and Samosa Media have produced a film exploring Prevent, the Government’s anti-radicalisation strategy. Anwar Akhtar, the film’s producer and founder of Samosa Media tells Policing Insight why the film was made and the impact he is hoping it will have.

ANALYSIS: Why is it that some people thrive in conditions of uncertainty, but and others become extremely stressed? Dr Ian Hesketh, Wellbeing Lead for the College of Policing, and Chief Constable Andy Rhodes, NPCC Lead for Wellbeing and Engagement, put forward a short 'resilience prescription', suggesting the key characteristics of a mindset that can improve the ability to cope with a policing environment

NEWS: The Government's firm belief that a deal on policing and security will happen before the UK leaves the EU is at odds with the APCC's Brexit Working Group who told this year's APCC/NPCC summit there is absolutely 'no chance' of a deal. So, what plans are in place to manage a no deal Brexit?  

OPINION: In the recent CoPaCC Police ICT: User Perspectives 2018 report officers and staff express dissatisfaction with equipment, training and support that is preventing them from policing to the best of their ability. Simon Kempton, Deputy National Treasurer and National Board Member of the Police Federation of England & Wales, gives his view on the report findings.

ANALYSIS: 'County lines' drug dealing is a growing problem in the UK's small towns. However, it's also creating a hierarchy of exploitation - with its teenage drug dealers themselves near the bottom. Grace Robinson of Edge Hill University; James Densley of Metropolitan State University, and Robert McLean of Northumbria University explain the 'indentured labour' of the drugs trade.

ANALYSIS: In the final part of his series on mental health street triage, Daniel Moloney of the Institute for Public Safety, Crime and Justice at the University of Northampton explains why collecting good data is so vital to understanding outcomes.

OPINION: Alan Beckley was a police officer in the UK for 30 years, before moving to Australia to teach and conduct research on policing and law enforcement, most recently as a Research Fellow at Western Sydney University. In this, the first of a regular series of articles for Policing Insight, he provides an Australian perspective on the Home Affairs Select Committee's recent report, "Policing for the Future".

OPINION: Think Tank PUBLIC have today, with the support of the former Met Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, published their "Police Tech Pioneers" report. In this EXCLUSIVE article for Policing Insight, PUBLIC Policy Fellow and former policing advisor to the Mayor of London Blair Gibbs provides his perspective on the report.

ANALYSIS: The latest in our Report Watch series, which summarises the findings of reports that impact policing and includes responses from the main stakeholders as well as media reaction, takes a look at the Scottish Police Authority’s report, Police Scotland Digital, Data & ICT (DDICT) Outline Business Case (OBC) published on September 27.

OPINION: A lack of integration and interoperability between ICT systems coupled with outdated hardware continue to hamper Scottish police officers but, in his foreword to CoPaCC's Police ICT: User Perspectives 2018 report, President of the Association of Scottish Police Superintendents Ch Supt Ivor Marshall says the recently agreed £298 million for ICT investment is an opportunity to create a system fit for purpose.

ANALYSIS: In the second of three blogs on mental health triage, Daniel Moloney of the Institute for Public Safety, Crime and Justice at the University of Northampton explores how good practice and effective policies are developed on the ground

EXCLUSIVE: Earlier this week, the Home Affairs Select Committee published their long-awaited report "Policing for the Future". In this exclusive article for Policing Insight, the Police Foundation's Director, Dr Rick Muir, sets out how and why the Select Committee's report will have a lasting impact.

OPINION: "Technology is changing fast and it’s essential that we keep a handle on the police ICT user experience, so we can better understand the challenges facing users and look for solutions" says Ch. Supt. Paul Griffiths, Vice President of the Police Superintendents Association in his foreword to the CoPaCC Police ICT: User Perspectives 2018 report.

ANALYSIS: Mental health makes up an increasing part of demand on the police service, and various methods are being trialled to try to improve the police response, including triage. In the first of three blogs, Daniel Moloney of the Institute for Public Safety, Crime and Justice at the University of Northampton examines factors affecting demand.

OPINION: The Government has recently announced a proposal to increase pension costs for employers throughout the public sector. In an exclusive article for Policing Insight, West Midlands PCC David Jamieson looks at how this could affect policing in his force and more widely.

ANALYSIS: The latest in our Report Watch series, which summarises the findings of reports that impact policing and includes responses from the main stakeholders as well as media reaction, takes a look at HMICFRS’ Joint Inspection of the Handling of Cases Involving Disability Hate Crime and HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate, published this month (October 18).

OPINION: The idea of unconscious bias has increasing traction in policing, but what if we're looking in the wrong places? Dr Emma Williams of Canterbury Christ Church University discusses different types of diversity and how internal bias could be affecting both leadership in the police and how certain roles are valued.