Topical issues

INTERVIEW: For more than 30 years, Victoria Police Senior Sergeant Dermot Avon has provided mental health support and mentoring for colleagues, having experienced his own struggles after witnessing traumatic incidents early in his career; with his efforts recognised in this months’ King’s Birthday Honours, he spoke to Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons about the improvements in mental health support across the force, and how officers can help their colleagues.

OPINION: Neurodiverse young people and adults – particularly those with ADHD – may experience a number of traits that are likely to push them towards criminality; Met Police DC Daley Jones, co-chair of the ADHD Alliance, believes asking detainees to complete a simple, 18-step questionnaire could give them an indication that they might have a life-changing condition that can be helped with treatment and care, which may lead them away from offending.

LONG READ: As policing globally faces significant challenges around effective responses to those in mental health crises, Western Australia Sgt Glen Blackwell, the force’s first Mental Health Co-Response Trainer, received a Churchill Fellowship award to establish diversionary practices for mentally and intellectually disabled persons engaging police; this long-read article, based on his final report to the Churchill Trust, explores international best practice, and makes recommendations for police in Australia that could also benefit other forces.

ANALYSIS: Forced marriage affects millions of people around the world from many different cultures, and forced marriage protection orders (FMPOs) were introduced in England and Wales to prevent such crimes; but new research by Prof Sundari Anitha and Prof Aisha K Gill shows that the legal tools currently available fall seriously short of protecting victims of forced marriage from further abuse.

FEATURE: With those involved in racially and ethnically motivated violent extremism and violent right-wing extremism increasingly co-operating and collaborating internationally in their online and offline activities, those who work to prevent violent extremism will need to do the same if they are to be effective; Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth looks at the work of the Radicalisation Awareness Network in promoting and advocating international collaboration and the exchange of effective practices.

ANALYSIS: The pace of artificial intelligence (AI) development has prompted calls from some quarters for a pause in the sector’s expansion efforts; members of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) technology sub-committee on AI – An Garda Síochána Deputy Commissioner Shawna Coxon, Tony Porter (Chief Privacy Officer, Corsight Ai), Netherlands Police AI expert Oscar Wijsman, US lawyer Don Zoufal, and IACP Communications and Technology Committee Chair Craig Allen – believe such calls reaffirm the need for law enforcement to take stock of the challenges presented and opportunities offered by the growth in AI.

FEATURE: Following the statement by Police Scotland Chief Constable Sir Iain Livingstone that the force is “institutionally racist and discriminatory”, a new report finds that the culture in Scotland’s single force is plagued by misogyny and sexism – with female staff paying the price, as Policing Insight’s James Sweetland reports.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: With policing facing significant challenges around growing volume and complexity of demand, effective collaboration between forces and with other agencies is moving higher up the agenda for delivering an effective service to the public; Hexagon Director Nick Chorley spoke to Policing Insight about the opportunities for successful collaboration, the barriers to implementation, and the drivers for change.

INTERVIEW: Recognised by the International Association of Women Police as the longest serving female police officer in the world, Victoria Police Det Snr Sgt Joy Murphy this month received the Medal of the Order of Australia in the King’s Birthday Honours; now in her 51st year as a police officer, she spoke to Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons about her passion for policing, her efforts to improve the service to victims, and her continuing advocacy for equal opportunities

FEATURE: Electronic systems designed to increase driver convenience and improve security are now being exploited by car thieves to steal vehicles; Networking and Security Lecturer Dr Omair Uthmani of Glasgow Caledonian University explains how the sophisticated approaches are defeating existing measures – and how the disguised devices used by thieves are difficult for police to spot if suspects are searched.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: In this article, Oliver Ledgard, EMEA Government Vertical Lead, Zebra Technologies, discusses the ways that the right technology can help reduce pressures, deliver capacity, provide value for money, and push up productivity within the UK’s police services.

OPINION: As the debate around the most effective police or partner agency response to those in mental health crisis continues, David Marshall, a serving officer with more than 30 years’ experience who is also a part-time policing lecturer and PhD researcher, explores how policing has become the default agency dealing with what is often a health emergency, and why any long-term strategy must recognise that law enforcement is often not the right responder.

OPINION: The UK’s new Public Order Act completed its late night passage through the House of Lords this week, with the Government using rare secondary legislation to secure its success; Senior Policing Lecturer Owen West, a former chief superintendent and public order policing specialist, believes it is not only members of the upper house who regret the new law – police officers and commanders will face an impossible task in trying to interpret and implement the Act.

FEATURE: Community policing is widely recognised to be the backbone of British policing, with community engagement, interactive partnerships and a targeted visible presence all crucial to the success of the model; now EU funding is being made available to forces looking to develop new methods and technologies in the service of community policing and transferable best practices, as Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth reports.

OPINION: Heroin supplies in the US are now commonly adulterated with animal tranquillizer xylazine, a drug which when injected can lead to widespread lesions that cause tissue death – hence the name ‘zombie drug’: with the first reported case of xylazine in a UK drug-user’s death now recorded, King’s College London Pharmaceutical Lecturer Dr Caroline Copeland believes heroin users must be made aware of the additional risks – especially as opioid overdose reversal agent naloxone is not effective against the sedative effects of xylazine.

FEATURE: The recent announcement that all forces in England and Wales will now attend every burglary – coupled with a change in crime counting rules to distinguish between home break-ins and thefts from sheds and garages – has been heralded by police chiefs as an important step towards greater support for victims, improved transparency, and a return to policing fundamentals, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

INTERVIEW: In the second of a two-part series marking the 10th anniversary of the College of Policing – the professional body for officers in England and Wales – Policing Insight’s Ian Weinfass spoke to Chief Executive Andy Marsh about how it has performed so far, its degree entry programme, plans for vetting units, direct entry and more.

ANALYSIS: There has been a lot of sympathy for the concerns voiced by policing the UK that officers are often not the right people to respond to those in mental health crisis, and plenty of support for the Right Care, Right Person approach; but Dr Meron Wondemaghen, a Senior Lecturer in Criminology at the University of Hull, fears that trying to push through such significant change by a 31 August deadline will leave the health sector unable to cope, and those in crisis lacking the support they need.

OPINION: Convicted al-Qaeda terrorist Abdul Nacer Benbrika is currently challenging his ongoing imprisonment in Australia under a continuing detention order, a measure which the Independent National Security Legislation Monitor recently argued should be abolished; but John Coyne and Justin Bassi of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute believe a systemic approach to managing risk must also recognise that some offenders are too dangerous to be released.

INTERVIEW: In the latest in a series of interviews with leading figures involved in the research and investigation of organised crime, Policing Insight’s Chris Allen spoke to former police officer Neil Woods, now Chairman of Law Enforcement Action Partnership (LEAP) UK, about legalising cannabis, how prescribing heroin can benefit society while landing a blow against organised crime, and the huge impact that the drugs market has on the climate crisis.

FEATURE: In his first State of Policing assessment report as HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary, Andy Cooke has warned that public trust and confidence in policing is “hanging by a thread”, with the service having a “limited window of opportunity” in which to act; he also called for change to start from the top, and for more powers for the Inspectorate to be able to direct forces to rectify problems, as Policing Insight’s Keith Potter reports.

FEATURE: With support from the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, a women and policing network is encouraging and empowering female officers and staff in the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service; Policing Insight’s Christine Townsend spoke to DCO Nancy Barnard and Supt Wendy Parchment about efforts to increase female representation, and the Island’s unique culture, heritage and policing challenges which create opportunities for women officers.

FEATURE: With police tactical response units using the latest hi-tech equipment that often shares striking similarities with military kit, new Canadian research has highlighted the impact that such an appearance and approach can have on public trust in the police, as University of Waterloo PhD Candidate Tandeep Sidhu explains.

FEATURE: New powers introduced by the European Union to tackle terrorist content online includes far-reaching obligations for host service providers both inside and outside the EU; but as Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth reports, much more needs to be done to raise awareness of the regulations among tech providers, government, law enforcement and others in order for them to be effective.