Topical issues

ANALYSIS: New research by Dr Jens Binder of Nottingham Trent University and Dr Chris Baker-Beall of Bournemouth University has found that terrorism radicalisation now takes place predominantly online, and that those recruited without face-to-face interaction are less likely to carry out violent attacks – but there is still a thin line between online only activity and mixed radicalisation processes, so internet extremism must still be taken seriously.

INNOVATION: Recent commercial research in the US has highlighted the key role that technology could play in increasing public trust in policing; Kinana Hussain, Vice President of Product Management at Digi International, explains how connectivity solutions can keep law enforcement and first responders safe while increasing trust in the communities they serve.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: The complexity of policing challenges is ever-evolving. In this article, we discuss how we made strides, with your feedback, to strengthen the Axon ecosystem in 2022 to help solve pain points and offer better support for positive policing outcomes.

ANALYSIS: With inspectorate reports highlighting concerns over the use of anti-rip clothing in police custody, the Independent Custody Visiting Association (ICVA) recently undertook a pilot project with Dyfed Powys Police to improve the monitoring, recording and risk assessments around the use of such clothing, with a long-term aim of ending the measure altogether, as ICVA Interim Chief Executive Sherry Ralph explains.

FEATURE: Despite several examples of terrorist attacks being livestreamed and online games being used to spread extreme propaganda and groom young fanatics, Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth warns that the full extent of the terrorist use of the internet remains poorly understood by many frontline practitioners, and a multi-faceted, holistic approach is essential to tackle the threat.

OPINION: Law enforcement agencies around the world often rely heavily on eyewitness testimony, but unreliable eyewitness evidence is often a contributing factor in miscarriages of justice; Dr Michel Funicelli a Lecturer in Police Studies at Teesside University and a 33-year veteran of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, believes new technology analysing brainwaves could be a significant asset for policing in assessing the credibility of witnesses.

INTERVIEW: Metropolitan Police Commander Dr Alison Heydari is the UK’s most senior black female officer, leading for the force on neighbourhood policing and nationally on out-of-court disposals; in the first in a two-part interview, she spoke to Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons about the importance for leaders of listening to staff, the need to recognise and praise work done well, and the vital role of resilience in coping with change.

LATEST RESEARCH: This summary curates the key policing-related research that's been published online in the last week, with links to the original journal articles, and selected abstracts.

INTERVIEW: Policing Insight’s Chris Allen regularly speaks to leading figures involved in the research and investigation of organised crime, as part of our ‘Spotlight on Organised Crime’ series; this week the spotlight turns on Chris, who answers the same questions he poses to others, this time in his role as Senior Police Practice Tutor at Bucks New University and Director of Criminis Training and Consultancy Services.

FEATURE: A Northamptonshire initiative has seen growing numbers of community carers trained to recognise the dangers of doorstep scams and prevent their elderly clients from becoming victims of fraud, burglaries and other opportunist crimes, as Policing Insight Contributing Editor Sarah Gibbons reports.

OPINION: With growing poverty and social exclusion – driven by the UK’s cost-of-living crisis – set to increase low-level crime, anxiety and poor mental health, Revolving Doors Chief Executive Pavan Dhaliwal says that new polling highlights public concern about the potential for a crisis of crime, and believes innovative policing approaches could be the key to criminal justice reform that would protect resources while supporting those who offend onto better lives and desistance.

FEATURE: A new review by the Independent Advisory Panel on Deaths in Custody has called for closer partnerships between policing, health and other criminal justice agencies to address mental health issues and help to prevent deaths in custody as well as suicides after release from police custody, as Policing Insight Contributing Editor Sarah Gibbons reports.

OPINION: The UK Government’s first year report into Operation Soteria highlights victim blaming and a lack of specialist knowledge among officers investigating rape, many of whom are over-worked, traumatised and inexperienced; Chief Constable Sarah Crew, the National Police Chiefs’ Council Lead for Adult Sexual Offences, believes that while the report makes difficult reading, it also offers the ‘best opportunity in a generation’ to improve the investigation and prosecution of rape.

ANALYSIS: Senior UK police chiefs met with the Prime Minister and Home Secretary earlier this month to discuss the criminal activism in some recent protests, with Mr Sunak pledging to give police “whatever they need” in relation to additional powers; but Policing Insight’s Graham Wettone, a subject matter expert on public order policing and protest groups, believes more effective use of existing legislation, together with a stronger response from the criminal justice system, could bring greater benefits than new laws.

FEATURE: ‘Hybrid’ threats, which aim to exploit a country’s vulnerability by undermining fundamental democratic values and liberties, look set to pose a growing challenge to both society and law enforcement, yet rarely receive a policing focus; Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth looks at EU collaborative attempts to address those threats.

FEATURE: With county lines drug trafficking increasingly recognised and understood across the UK, police still face the conundrum of whether children and young people involved in these crimes should be treated as offenders, victims, or both; Policing Insight’s James Sweetland reports on a session from the recent 24hr Conference on Global Organized Crime in which Trilateral Research’s Jana-Isabelle Dilger presented guidance for frontline officers making these tough calls.

ANALYSIS: This week saw the tragic killing of two Queensland Police officers during a shooting incident that left six people dead; Dr Terry Goldsworthy, Associate Professor of Criminology at Bond University, believes that while such events are rare in Australia compared to other countries, this latest loss of life will highlight once again the inherent dangers of policing, and what more can be done to reduce such risks.

FEATURE: While many law enforcement organisations around the world are facing challenges over legitimacy and community confidence, a new survey of Ireland’s An Garda Síochána has revealed increased public trust levels in the force of more than 90%, and a widespread belief that the organisation is well-managed and effective at tackling crime, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

LATEST RESEARCH: This summary curates the key policing-related research that's been published online in the last week, with links to the original journal articles, and selected abstracts.

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 organised crime consultant Sasha Jesperson about researching criminal networks in the ‘Eastern Neighbourhoods’, the inevitability of organised crime, and the importance of closer co-operation between government and law enforcement on strategic approaches.

OPINION: With his first three months in the UK’s most high-profile policing job now complete, Met Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley has been clear about his efforts to improve the force and root out corruption; Policing Lecturer and historian Tom Andrews believes the current Commissioner can draw on the example of a famous predecessor and namesake, Sir Robert Mark.

OPINION: As the World Cup heads towards its climax in Qatar, former public order specialist Owen West, now a Senior Policing Lecturer, believes some law enforcement attitudes and approaches to football fans suggest an unjustified level of prejudice not witnessed in any other sporting or social arena – one which needs to be re-thought to address legitimacy and confidence in policing.

ANALYSIS: Transform Justice Research and Policy Lead Fionnuala Ratcliffe examines research carried out by serving Police Sergeant Dr Lee Johnson into the nature and extent of the police ‘bravado’ culture.

LONG READ: With just one per cent of cases making it to court and convictions at a historic low, some believe the crime of rape has effectively been decriminalised. Dr John Fox, a lecturer in Police Studies at the University of Portsmouth, analyses the reasons why so few cases result in a conviction.