Topical issues

FEATURE: Speaking at a recent Staffordshire University conference, NPCC Chair Chief Constable Gavin Stephens explored policing’s “opportunity for a reset”, why forces must avoid “defensiveness” when confronted about cultural problems, and what an “anti-racist police service” really means, as Policing Insight’s James Sweetland reports.

FEATURE: New research by Professor Sarah Charman and Dr Jemma Tyson of the University of Portsmouth, based on interviews with officers resigning from forces in England and Wales, suggests that organisational inflexibility remains a key factor in the increasing number of officers – particularly women – leaving the service, with some forces and senior officers only paying “lip service” to the options for flexible working arrangements, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

FEATURE: In 2014, six men from Portsmouth left the city to join ISIS in Syria, prompting a media storm and significant tensions among the city’s communities, and influencing the development of the UK’s Prevent Strategy; University of Portsmouth Policing Lecturer David Knowles, who was the officer responsible for the police response to the incidents and became the national lead for Prevent in education, looks back at the impact on the city and policing, and how those events have shaped Prevent over the past decade.

OPINION: The influx of county lines drug gangs from English cities into Scotland has led to increased violence and the exploitation of local youngsters; but SNP Policing spokesman Allan Dorans argues that a desire among the mainstream media not to raise racial tension or anti-English sentiment has led to a lack of coverage of the issues which has had consequences for policing.

FEATURE: A custody navigator programme which works with young people in Cleveland to break the cycle of offending has been expanded to the region’s main hospital in an effort to work with victims of violence related to alcohol or substance abuse, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

FEATURE: While TV dramas often showcase police interviewers squeezing information out of suspects, the reality is rather different; speaking at a recent conference Dr Frances Surmon-Böhr, a psychologist and science-based interview expert, explained why the interpersonal skills and rapport-building techniques integral to the ORBIT interviewing model are the real keys to a successful interrogation, as Policing Insight’s James Sweetland reports.

FEATURE: An evaluation report into the UK Government-funded Grip programme and hot spot policing initiative designed to tackle serious violence has highlighted significant reductions in crime and potential savings, but has also warned that the approach is not a “quick fix” and requires commitment and buy-in from forces and leaders, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

ANALYSIS: As part of his speech to the recent Milpol Asia-Pacific Conference in Singapore, Australian Border Force Commissioner Michael Outram highlighted the potential that artificial intelligence offers his force and others in detecting and disrupting criminal activities and responding to crises.

FEATURE: There have long been warnings about the criminal and terrorist threat posed by drones, a risk that is increasing with the proliferation of cheap drone technology and the accessibility of explosives; against this backdrop, Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth looks at the concerns and recommendations regarding the use of drones highlighted in the latest report from the Counter-Terrorism Preparedness Network.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: Fivecast, a leading Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) solution provider, explains how OSINT techniques can help police forces identify coordinated efforts by online groups with the intent to vandalise or disrupt government infrastructure related to the expansion of London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone. By leveraging OSINT, intelligence officials can uncover networks of actors, events and analyse trends indicating criminal behaviours and risks to public safety.

INTERVIEW: This month saw the launch of the new Inspectorate of Policing and the appointment of the first Inspector General (IG) of Policing for Ontario; Ryan Teschner, who has taken up the IG role, spoke to Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons about the background to the changes, what he is hoping to achieve, and the potential benefits of improved oversight of policing in the province.

ANALYSIS: With violence reduction units set to be expanded across all of England and Wales, Policing Insight’s Ian Weinfass spoke to several of those involved in the work to date, asking how we will know when they’ve really been successful and what practitioners in the new areas will need to know.

FEATURE: The latest Assurance Review by the Scottish Biometrics Commissioner has called for stronger governance of biometric data – particularly images – held by the country’s law enforcement agencies, while restating the Commissioner’s opposition to UK Government plans to give police forces access to passport and driving licence images for use with tools such as facial recognition, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

INNOVATION: With policing coming under growing pressure to leverage the benefits of artificial intelligence (AI), Assistant Professor Dr Eric Halford, a former officer and now Associate Researcher in policing and development, explores the potential for police forces to improve efficiency and effectiveness through greater use of general purpose AI, as well as the associated challenges, and the pitfalls to avoid.

OPINION: While the Canadian public support efforts to fight crime, Professor Irvin Waller of the University of Ottawa and PhD candidate Jeffrey Bradley of Carleton University argue that current proposals to increase incarceration won’t deliver the desired reductions, and point instead to crime prevention approaches pioneered in Scotland as a more viable option.

INTERVIEW: Following an article in Policing Insight in 2018, Cambridge University PhD Researcher Emily Quin began exploring the idea of the ‘copper’s nose’, and how any policing ‘sixth sense’ could be defined and measured; she spoke to Policing Insight’s Martin Gallagher – author of the original piece – about her work so far, the importance of talking directly to officers, and what the eventual findings could mean for policing.

INTERVIEW: The New Blue fellowship programme in the US is looking to empower “forward-thinking” front-line officers with the skills, awareness and support to develop innovative solutions around engagement and public trust that can address issues identified in the communities they serve, as programme Executive Director Kristin Daley explained to Policing Insight’s Christine Townsend.

FEATURE: The Environment Agency has launched a new Economic Crime Unit which will work with police and revenue and customs in England to tackle organised waste crime including the dumping, burning and illegal shipping of waste, as well as the operation of illegal waste sites – a market estimated to cost the country £1billion a year, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

FEATURE: As the UK, Europe and the US all prepare for parliamentary elections this year, and with increasing calls for legislation to target hate speech, Policing Insight’s Andy Staniforth looks at the new project using AI-based technologies to equip NGOs, civil service organisations, public authorities and others with the skills and awareness to tackle online hate speech and disinformation.

INNOVATION: In the latest in a series of articles exploring how artificial intelligence (AI) can be used in policing, Chief Philip Lukens looks at the potential benefits that AI solutions can deliver in relation to accreditation and performance – including a master training schedule, an AI-assisted tool to review and update policy, and an automated compliance checker – all of which can save time and resources, increase reliability, and boost trust and confidence.

OPINION: Former Scottish police officer Graham Goulden, now a police trainer, believes that recent examples of street violence highlight the need for action rather than words, and points to the success of the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit’s long-term violence prevention approach – using a combination of enforcement, collaboration and community involvement – as an effective strategy moving forwards.

OPINION: Policing’s growing focus on equality, diversity and inclusion, and fears that officers will be increasingly dragged into adjudicating “abusive spats” online under Scotland’s new Hate Crime Act, are the latest example of a wider debate that needs to be had, argues former Police Scotland Superintendent Martin Gallagher – one which considers what the police are really for, and the danger that policing’s key purpose is being sidelined in favour of diversity.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: Join our free webinar on 7th May, to learn how modern platforms and AI can be leveraged to modernise the management of information, deliver improved operational insights and enhance policing outcomes.

OPINION: Algorithms are used to predict the risk of criminal behaviour, drug use and reoffending in a number of countries (as well as being employed widely outside the criminal justice sector); but Associate Professor Tatiana Dancy of the University of Melbourne argues that decisions should only be taken – and penalties applied – on the basis of behaviour, not other physical, mental or social characteristics fed into predictive tools.