Topical issues

OPINION: Is policing losing a sense of its past? As a military historian who has worked closely with the US and UK military, and who has also had insight into UK policing, Dr Jill S. Russell is convinced of the value an ‘official history’ approach would bring to policing research, professional development, and policy.

ANALYSIS: The Scottish Police Authority and Police Scotland have set out their strategy for policing in Scotland over the next ten years - Policing 2026. Independent researcher Kath Murray analyses the strategy and what it really means in the long term for policing in Scotland.

News feature: Police officers’ understanding of fraud and cyber crime needs to match their ability to respond to and investigate ‘mainstream’ offences such as theft and burglary if the service is to fulfil its primary role of keeping the public safe, according to the City of London Police.

Feature: As the shortage of detectives reaches crisis levels, according to HMIC, some forces are turning to direct entry schemes to fill the gap, amid concerns the scheme ignores the value of time spent in a uniform and resources are already too stretched to successfully implement the programme. 

Analysis: Greater Manchester Police and Crime Commissioner and NHS England's new £15m jointly-commissioned service to support vulnerable detainees and reduce re-offending is the first of its kind and is already attracting considerable interest, but can it deliver on its promises? 

OPINION: Last week's HMIC police effectiveness (PEEL) report painted a worrying picture about the state of policing. However, Gavin Hales of the Police Foundation argues the demands of HMIC may be impossible to meet for some forces - and that the report should be seen as a warning flag to the Home Office and Treasury that all is not well.

ANALYSIS: HMIC last week published their latest PEEL report, on police effectiveness. Crime expert and author Tom Gash provides his thoughts on the analysis they've presented.

ANALYSIS: Research on body-worn cameras has shown mixed results. Oh the one hand, complaints against police officers dropped spectacularly when the cameras were used; but on the other, rates of assault against officers during arrest were actually higher. Dr Alex Sutherland of RAND Europe examines police discretion as part of the explanation for these different outcomes.

OPINION: Earlier this week, HMIC assessed Durham Constabulary the highest overall classification, "outstanding", in their national assessment of police effectiveness. Durham PCC Ron Hogg provides his personal perspective on the Inspection.

ANALYSIS: Ian Wiggett charts the rise of the Neighbourhood Policing model and examines its future as forces try to square the circle between resources and demand, specialisms and neighbourhoods

OPINION: With the Police and Crime Act 2017 receiving Royal Assent and the new statutory duty for the emergency services to collaborate coming into force in April, the Minister of State for Policing and the Fire Service hails the opportunities for the fire and rescue services to develop closer and stronger partnerships with policing

ANALYSIS: The fourth of a monthly series in which CoPaCC's Sandra Andrews takes a look at some of the most interesting and topical issues that Police and Crime Panels across England and Wales are dealing with. This month, Sandra looks at Dorset's work to improve its own performance, and examines the determination of allowances for Panel members in other PCPs.

OPINION: Policing is being asked to move in two different directions at once: to grapple with geographically mobile crime, and to deal with increasingly complex issues requiring complex local solutions. Rick Muir of the Police Foundation makes a powerful case for deeper collaboration between agencies to tackle the challenges ahead.

OPINION: Taking on a 45,000-strong organisation, with a budget of more than £2.5 billion would stretch the most seasoned corporate executive - and the Met faces some serious challenges in the years ahead. Nick Alston of Anglia Ruskin University's Policing Institute for the Eastern Region warns that the role may be too demanding for any senior officer.

ANALYSIS: As the debate over spit hoods continues, Graham Hooper of Canterbury Christ Church University briefly outlines the competing claims of those in favour and against their use.

OPINION: The use of spit hoods has become steeped in controversy in recent months. For officers, they are vital protection against contagious diseases such as HIV and Hep C, but for others they are primitive and are being introduced without proper consultation. Policing Insight takes a look at both sides of the debate with Ian Pointon, chairman of Kent Police Federation and leading human rights lawyer Chris Topping presenting opposing views.

OPINION: Cressida Dick has today been appointed as the new Metropolitan Police Commissioner, replacing outgoing Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe. Chief Superintendent John Sutherland takes an insider's look at what will be waiting in the new Commissioner's in-tray.

OPINION: With the announcement today of Cressida Dick as the new Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, Rory Geoghegan of the Centre for Public Safety offers an account of the four major challenges facing the new Commissioner and the Met in the years ahead.

ANALYSIS: Though football crowd violence is less of a critical issue in the UK than it was in the 1980s, it remains a key concern in countries such as Sweden. Professor Clifford Stott outlines how partnership between academics and police forces has led to the development of theory and practice in reducing crowd violence, and flags up an upcoming CPD event at Keele University.

Interview: The long-awaited introduction of a new National ANPR System (NAS), originally scheduled to be in place by April 2016, has moved a step closer this year following a successful bid to the Police Transformation Fund to establish a National ANPR Co-ordinator and Transformation Team.Keith Potter speaks to Temporary Superintendent John Dwyer of North Yorkshire Police.

Interview: The Essex Police and Crime Commissioner is leading the race to become the first Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner. Catherine Levin asks Roger Hirst about the urgency, benefits and costs of taking on responsibility for Essex County Fire and Rescue Service (ECFRS)

ANALYSIS: DCC Louisa Rolfe oversees West Midlands Police's WMP2020 change programme that features 33 individual projects designed to make the force more agile when fighting crime and more accessible to the public. Here, she explains how the force's innovative collaboration with Accenture is progressing.

ANALYSIS: Her Majesty The Queen last week opened the operational nerve centre known as the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) to manage cyber incidents. Michael Shuff, Marketing Lead at PA Consulting's specialist cyber security arm, 7Safe, takes a look at the NCSC's role.

OPINION: The College of Policing recently announced three future entry streams to policing, one of which was a pre-entry degree qualification. Serving officer Rich Honess outlines his suggestions as to how those degrees might be structured, based on his previous experience of teacher training.