Topical issues

OPINION: More than 1,600 people lost their lives on British roads last year, with distraction, poor driver behaviour and under-resourced roads policing all contributing to the stabilisation of previously declining casualty figures, says Drivetech Director Leo Taylor, who is calling for a government-led ‘coalition of the willing’– properly resourced and taking advantage of new technology – to reduce the number of people killed and seriously injured on the roads.

FEATURE: A recent paper published as part of collection of insights by the EU Knowledge Hub on Prevention of Radicalisation highlights the role played by social media and digital networks and algorithms in creating a landscape of online extremist antisemitism; Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth looks at the risks to both Jewish communities and wider democracy set out in the paper, as well as efforts to counter the digital dangers.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: Fraud is rising fast in the UK, fuelled by scams and schemes that thrive on social media. In this article, Fivecast’s David Janson examines why investigators need AI-powered open-source intelligence to uncover hidden networks and stay ahead of increasingly organised criminals.

FEATURE: A College of Policing evaluation of the use of a video first response (VFR) approach to non-emergency domestic abuse calls has found that VFR can significantly reduce response times for victims, while also improving victim safeguarding and perceptions of being believed by officers – but there’s little evidence so far to suggest an increase in positive criminal justice outcomes, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

INTERVIEW: Merging four separate police functions under one banner, the new National Centre for Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) and Public Protection is part of a UK Government drive to start “treating the epidemic of violence against women and children with the seriousness it deserves”; Policing Insight’s Ian Weinfass spoke to the Centre’s Deputy Director, Assistant Chief Constable Claire Bell, about how it is working so far and what the future holds.

OPINION: The Australia New Zealand Policing Advisory Agency (ANZPAA) recently published its revised Anti-Racism and Cultural Diversity Principles, designed to provide a framework for police “to address racism and strengthen collaborative partnerships”; Jacqueline Durand, ANZPAA’s Assistant Director of Policy and Projects, explains why the Principles have been updated, the important differences between anti-racism and cultural awareness, and the vital role leadership plays in delivering this proactive approach.

INTERVIEW: The UK’s Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) recently published new guidance for police forces and other uniformed services on collecting and analysing equality data; EHRC Wales Committee Interim Chair Martyn Jones spoke to Policing Insight’s Keith Potter about the drivers behind the new guidance, how good data could lead to necessary cultural change, and why police forces need to be aware of their statutory duties around collating and utilising equality data.

OPINION: The recent undercover BBC Panorama programme highlighting serious misconduct by some Met officers, and the resulting outcry, once again focused on the bad behaviour of individuals; but Graham Goulden, a former officer with a 30-year career and now a strong advocate for safe and supportive workplaces, argues that the real focus needs to be on the cultures, situations and systems that enable such behaviour.

FEATURE: A Home Office evaluation of the County Lines Programme targeting drug gangs using mobile phone networks to deal narcotics has found that the initiative has driven an overall decrease in serious violence in the four main ‘exporter’ forces – due mainly to a fall in knife attacks – as well as reductions in thefts from vehicles and drug overdoses, while recorded drug offences rise, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

INTERVIEW: SFJ Awards, an independent regulated awarding organisation born out of Skills for Justice and part of The Workforce Development Trust group, is one of the UK’s leading awarding bodies in police, public and private training provision for counter-terrorism; Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth spoke to Kit Salt, SJF Awards Director of Partnerships and Innovation, about the qualifications offered including the new protective security advisers certificate, developed with the Home Office.

ANALYSIS: New figures from Childlight’s Into the Light index show that around five million children across western Europe report having been raped or sexually assaulted by the age of 18, with more than 50 million in India, Nepal and Sri Lanka experiencing the same sexual violence; Childlight’s Director of Data, Professor Deborah Fry, says the “deeply troubling” data is being driven by a surge in AI-generated child sexual abuse material, but believes that enforcement and prevention efforts can have a significant impact.

INTERVIEW: With law enforcement increasingly looking to artificial intelligence (AI) to improve efficiency and enhance outcomes, forensic psychologist Dr Brandon May, Assistant Professor at the Florida Institute of Technology, fears that policing is becoming over-reliant on AI – particularly generative AI in areas such as investigative interviewing, which he argues require skills such as intuition, emotional intelligence or judgement that AI doesn’t have, as he explained to Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons.

OPINION: A new report on the police use of live facial recognition highlights the rapidly expanding deployment of the technology, and calls for the creation of a new national co-ordination capability to systematise its best practice use, as report author James Sweetland, Senior Consultant at policing, justice, and public safety consultancy Leapwise, explains.

FEATURE: This month’s Building Bridges Evidence-Based Policing Conference in Ontario saw the launch of 30Forward, Canada’s first national initiative dedicated to increasing the representation and improving the experiences of women in policing; Policing Insight’s Christine Townsend spoke to Barrie Police Service’s Inspector Val Gates, Co-creator and Co-lead for 30Forward, about the aim of the initiative, it’s collaboration with the 30x30 initiative in the US, and the importance of a cultural shift in policing.

FEATURE: The UK’s National Black Police Association (NBPA) is working with academics to design a way to rate forces on issues including trust and representation; the NBPA announced the move at its annual conference this month, where police leaders discussed issues including the exposure of racism at Charing Cross Police Station by the BBC, the Police Race Action Plan, and calls to abolish non-crime hate incidents, as Policing Insight’s Ian Weinfass reports.

OPINION: In the latest in a regular series of articles from the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC), West Yorkshire Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime Alison Lowe, the APCC’s Joint Lead on Transparency and Accountability, looks at the importance and implications of the recently published ‘Hillsborough Law’, and why accountability will continue to be at the heart of ongoing police reform.

INTERVIEW: Greater Manchester Police’s Chief Superintendent Phil Davies leads for the force on data strategy, as well as on data foundations for the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s Data and Analytics Board; he spoke to Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons about the benefits of police borrowing the “digital twin” concept widely used in industry, the need for efficient data quality and management, and how realisation around the importance of data is finally hitting home in policing.

OPINION: Latest United Nations figures indicate that in 2023, only 8% of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) workforce were women, with the majority of those in junior clerical posts; Dr Usman A. Ojedokun, a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Sociology at Nigeria’s University of Ibadan, looks at the historical and cultural challenges behind the NPF’s gender gap, and what steps can be taken to address it

FEATURE: A report into neighbourhood crime and anti-social behaviour is urging the Government to rebrand neighbourhood policing as a “a specialist discipline” while also exploring how to “strengthen collective efficacy, trust and social cohesion at the neighbourhood level”, amid warnings that a policing-only response to the challenges is not a long-term solution, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

OPINION: Following the strong support from Lord Justice Brian Leveson for out-of-court resolutions in his recent Independent Review of the Criminal Courts, Pavan Dhaliwal, CEO of Revolving Doors, and Emily Spurrell, Police and Crime Commissioner for Merseyside & Chair of the APCC, set out why the time is right for a national diversion strategy that would bring significant benefits for low-level offenders caught in the cycle of crisis and crime, for policing, and for the wider criminal justice system.

FEATURE: The Australian Institute of Criminology’s latest Cybercrime in Australia report highlights that while the prevalence of victimisation for many cybercrimes has fallen since 2023, the overall chance of becoming a victim remains high, with almost two thirds of users experiencing cybercrime in the past year; apathy around online protective behaviours, and a drop in social media use meaning password aren’t updated, are also leaving users at risk, reports Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons.

OPINION: The New Zealand Parliament is currently considering a bill which could criminalise public protests that take place too close to people’s homes or private residences; but Professor Kris Gledhill of Auckland University of Technology argues that not only is the proposed legislation unnecessary given the laws already in place, but will be difficult for police to enforce, and unlikely to be upheld by the courts.

FEATURE: With serious and organised crime recognised by Europol as one of the greatest security threats currently facing the EU, Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth looks at the latest funding opportunities for police forces across the continent including the UK, as well as New Zealand and Canada, to develop projects seeking to improve the intelligence picture and the “enhanced prevention, detection and deterrence” of organised crime.

FEATURE: Victims of violence against women and girls who may be susceptible to repeat attacks are being given cans of chemically marked forensic spray as a deterrent against potential attackers; an evaluation of the scheme found that the approach helps to build trust and confidence in policing, speed up court processes, and helps to reduce investigator workloads, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.