Topical issues

INTERVIEW: Often a target narcotic for law enforcement, MDMA is among a number of psychedelic drugs increasingly being used to treat US police officers and other first responders suffering from PTSD; Policing Insight’s Christine Townsend spoke to Lt Sarko Gergerian – a qualified psychotherapist and advocate of the approach – about his own experiences of receiving MDMA-assisted psychotherapy, which featured in a recent Netflix documentary.

INNOVATION: The latest cohort of recruits to Merseyside Police will be wearing wrist bands that monitor their stress and strain levels as well as sleep patterns, as part of a six-month pilot project focusing on police welfare; Dr Carol Cox, Head of Policing at Liverpool John Moores University, is leading the research team, and spoke to Policing Insight’s Keith Potter about the aims of the pilot, overcoming the associated challenges, and the potential of wearable technology going forwards.

OPINION: A fatal crash involving a runaway freight train in British Columbia three years ago has raised awareness among the Canadian public of the unique investigative and jurisdictional powers bestowed on company-operated railway police; Professor Bruce Campbell of Canada’s York University believes it’s time this “antiquated relic” of private-sector policing was replaced with an independent public railway police regime similar to the British model.

OPINION: The new senior command team announced by recently appointed Met Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley includes evidence-based policing pioneer Professor Lawrence Sherman as the force’s first Chief Scientific Officer; Policing Lecturer Tom Andrews believes the appointment heralds a clear commitment by the Met – and British policing more widely – to research-informed practice.

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 Roy McComb, organised crime consultant and former Deputy Director of the UK National Crime Agency, about the switch from terrorism to organised crime in Northern Ireland, the success of Project Aidant, and organised crime’s evolution in the cyber world.

ANALYSIS: Earlier this year, as the first evidence of war crimes began to emerge in Ukraine, Policing Insight’s Gareth Bryon looked at the preparations and efforts already underway to pursue justice against those responsible; five months on, and with the conflict showing no signs of ending, he examines the training and support being provided to those likely to investigate such atrocities – as well as the obstacles to securing justice that have not gone away.

FEATURE: New Home Secretary Suella Braverman has called for an ‘urgent overhaul’ of the UK’s Prevent counter-terrorism strategy, in the wake of a critical independent assessment of the programme earlier this year; Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth looks at the background to the strategy, and examines the politically charged nature of much of the controversy surrounding it.

ANALYSIS: A new report has highlighted the disadvantages faced by those who are neurodivergent in their dealing with the police, courts, prisons and the wider criminal justice system, and has called for more training for frontline workers in understanding the effect on behaviour of conditions such as ADHD, learning difficulties and acquired brain injury, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

OPINION: Governments and philanthropists have poured significant sums of money into tackling the illegal wildlife trade, with militarised anti-poaching projects and cutting-edge technology leading the targeting of the trade; but Professor Rosaleen Duffy of the University of Sheffield argues that addressing the problem purely as a criminal matter fails to reduce demand or offer economic alternatives for those driven to poaching.

FEATURE: Edmonton Police Service are leading on a partnership approach to providing a wide range of support services for individuals coming into regular contact with frontline officers, a programme which has seen significant reductions in police contact and criminal behaviour post-intervention, as Policing Insight Contributing Editor 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.

FEATURE: A documentary film sharing the harrowing stories of Romanian domestic violence victims driven to kill their abusers, efforts to ensure Spanish support services are accessible for all, and a project to provide common operating standards for India’s two million police officers were among international initiatives to tackle VAWG discussed at a recent global conference, as Policing Insight Contributing Editor Tina Orr Munro reports.

FEATURE: Regaining public trust in policing, and equipping new recruits with the necessary skills and expertise as quickly as possible, were among the key challenges for UK police leaders identified by policing academic Professor Colin Rogers and Essex Chief Constable BJ Harrington during a leadership debate at the recent London Policing College International Conference, as Policing Insight’s Keith Potter reports.

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 John M Sellar, author and former detective and UN wildlife crime specialist, about the route from Scottish cop to the UN, the need for transnational co-operation, and the difficulties of trying to overcome police and government corruption around the globe.

INTERVIEW: The period of mourning and subsequent state funeral for HM Queen Elizabeth II involved one of the UK’s largest ever policing operations at multiple locations; Chief Constable Lucy D’Orsi, who led Operation London Bridge, spoke to Policing Insight Contributing Editor Sarah Gibbons about the scale and complexity of the operation, the pride and professionalism of officers and staff, and the “hidden heroes” behind the scenes.

FEATURE: A collaborative approach between police, prison and probation services to the threat posed by organised crime groups in prisons was one of the more innovative measures within the Government’s 2018 Serious and Organised Crime Strategy; new research with police officers and prison staff on Humberside offers the first evaluation of the approach, highlighting the ‘cultural shift’ driven by this multi-agency response, as Policing Insight’s Keith Potter reports.

ANALYSIS: A ‘whole of government approach’ to human trafficking in Australia, which combines awareness raising with a focus on support for victims and an understanding of their complex needs, has led to a significant increase in the number of victims identified across a wide range of modern slavery-related crimes including forced marriage, forced labour, sexual exploitation and organ trafficking, as Policing Insight Contributing Editor Sarah Gibbons reports.

FEATURE: The violence that erupted this month between members of the Muslim and Hindu communities in Leicester took many community leaders by surprise, and has prompted concerns that disorder could spread to other parts of the UK; the confrontations suggest such faith-based tensions could be a worrying development, says Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth, but a new EU project has been launched to target religion-based community conflicts.

OPINION: The changing nature of crime, the advances of new technology, and the debates around training and wellbeing are representative of just some of the contemporary challenges facing policing in England and Wales; Jonathan Jackson, Senior Teaching Fellow in Policing and Security at Birmingham City University, explores some of those key challenges, and what steps the service could be taking to address them.

ANALYSIS: New research has highlighted the need for a fresh approach to the risk assessment and management of registered sex offenders (RSOs), based on rapport rather than traditional investigative interviewing techniques; Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons spoke to Dr Leona Mydlowski about her review findings, the recommendations for a rethink of training, and why the focus should move from previous offences to what RSOs need to prevent future reoffending.

FEATURE: Improving mental health and wellbeing for police, as well as the response to those in mental health crisis, is a key concern for law enforcement globally; Jacqueline Durand, Acting Director (Strategy) at the Australia New Zealand Policing Advisory Agency (ANZPAA), looks at what is being done in both countries to support officers, as well as efforts to respond collaboratively with paramedics and mental health to those community members in crisis.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: The violence against women and girls delivery framework, which launched in December 2021, sets out how policing will radically improve its response to violent and sexual crimes, and build trust and confidence. The WEPROTECT instant victim referral service enables officers to provide faster access to civil legal support and court orders to help protect victims from further abuse.

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.

ANALYSIS: New research into the experiences of youngsters involved in county lines drugs in the UK has found that a lack of effective safeguarding or guidance, a focus on enforcement rather than prevention, and a shortfall in police resources is leaving vulnerable youngsters at growing risk of criminal exploitation by organised gangs, as Policing Insight Contributing Editor Sarah Gibbons reports.