Topical issues

OPINION: Forensic science is often overlooked as a niche part of policing, but after six months as the new National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) Forensic Lead, Chief Constable Nick Dean argues that forensics is vital for enabling crime investigation and prevention, and sets out a raft of changes which could help policing restore public trust.

INNOVATION: Virtual and augmented reality immersive technologies could provide valuable insights for police officers in both training and real-world scenarios; in the second in a series of articles from Emerging Tech in Policing Week, Stergios Aidinlis, Research Analyst at Trilateral Research, explores some of the potential benefits and the challenges of using this new technology.

OPINION: To mark World Autism Acceptance Week, South Wales Police Superintendent Marc Attwell breaks down some of the common myths around autism, and explains how being autistic has helped him in his policing career.

INNOVATION: Artificial intelligence, automation and machine learning offer significant opportunities for improving performance in policing; but in this first in a series of articles from Emerging Tech in Policing Week, Matthew Cheesman, Technology Consulting Manager for Accenture, argues that the key to their successful adoption and implementation will be ethics, transparency and governance.

OPINION: HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary in Scotland, Gill Imery QPM, leaves her post tomorrow (1 April) after four years leading HMICS; Mrs Emery, who will be succeeded by Craig Naylor (currently Deputy Director of Investigations at the National Crime Agency), shared her reflections on the challenges and achievements for the Inspectorate and Police Scotland during a tumultuous period of policing globally.

ANALYSIS: As the conflict in Ukraine continues, so too does the pressure to ensure that international crimes committed during the Russian invasion are fully investigated and prosecuted; Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth looks at the steps being taken by EU states to establish the collaboration and co-operation needed to respond to such crimes, and the role law enforcement is likely to play in bringing people to justice.

ANALYSIS: Officers of the Nigeria Police Force are considering industrial action to protest against the lack of funding, low salaries and poor working conditions they face; Dr Lanre Ikuteyijo, Senior Lecturer at Obafemi Awolowo University and a police affairs expert, explains the implications of the strike, and how Nigeria can improve the welfare of its police officers.

OPINION: With 75% of all suicides by men, and trauma and mental ill-health acknowledged as significant issues for those within policing, suicide prevention among male police officers is increasingly recognised as an area where more needs to be done; freelance mental health specialist Toni White highlights some of the signs that forces and colleagues should be looking for, and the steps that need to be taken to support officers and reduce loss of life.

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: Five years after the Westminster Bridge attack in which PC Keith Palmer and four members of the public died, a new review by Lord Toby Harris into London’s preparedness and ability to respond to potential terror attacks has found “very substantial progress” – but warns against complacency, and highlights the damaging impact of austerity and funding cuts on counter-terror policing and wider partnership networks, as Policing Insight’s Keith Potter reports.

FEATURE: The burden of mental health callouts on police across New Zealand could be significantly reduced if a multi-agency response model that has proven successful during trials in Wellington is approved – and funded – for use across all Police districts, as Ellen Brook of the New Zealand Police Association explains.

FEATURE: An independent report into the UK’s efforts to target illicit profits from the illegal wildlife trade has called for a more nuanced, consistent and multi-level analytical approach to counter the laundering of illicit proceeds, as Policing Insight’s Chris Allen reports.

FEATURE: The COVID-19 pandemic has seen an increase in cybercrime and online fraud, and with it a new, complex scam involving dating sites and cryptocurrencies; PhD candidate and Research Fellow Carlo Handy Charles explains how organised crime has pioneered the sophisticated ‘pig-butchering’ scams.

FEATURE: Metrics to quantify ‘success’ in UK policing have changed considerably over the past three decades, with an early focus on the volume of crime recorded and detected replaced with targeting those crimes causing the most harm; in this latest article in Policing Insight’s Police Student series, Academic Editor Dr Carina O’Reilly explores the various performance measurement approaches, and why public confidence should be equally crucial in shaping policing priorities.

INTERVIEW: A new early intervention system adopted by Dallas PD can highlight those officers who need more support and training to improve their performance; Deputy Chief Catrina Shead spoke to Policing Insight’s Christine Townsend about the system, as well as current recruitment challenges, and why experience and observation are as important as education.

ANALYSIS: In the latest in our series of articles on continuing professional development (CPD) in policing, Dr Ahmed Kadry and Jo Lambert of the Open University’s Policing Organisation and Practice team explore the opportunities for expanding the Police Education Qualification Framework to include special constables, and the benefits this could bring – both for forces and for individual officers.

ANALYSIS: With the electronic communications landscape changing significantly and quickly, existing legislation covering law enforcement electronic surveillance has struggled to keep pace; Analyst Dr Teagan Westendorf and specialist Jocelinn Kang, both of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, take a closer look at the country’s planned legislative reform around electronic surveillance, and why balancing security and liberty will be essential in any new law.

ANALYSIS: The images of child refugees fleeing the conflict in Ukraine have been among some of the most disturbing to emerge from the war; Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth looks at the risks posed in neighbouring countries by human trafficking gangs, and efforts from the European Commission to fund new projects to counter human trafficking across the continent.

FEATURE: In his final State of Policing assessment, Chief Inspector of Constabulary Sir Tom Winsor – who leaves the HMICFRS at the end of this month – has praised the efforts of officers and staff, but highlighted significant concerns including the fragility of the 43-force model in England and Wales, the urgent need to restore public confidence, and compromises required between funding and public expectations, as Policing Insight’s Keith Potter reports.

OPINION: Having spent six years as part of the team leading the UK’s Police Superintendents’ Association, Chief Superintendent Paul Griffiths completed his tenure as President last week, and shared his thoughts and reflections on the challenges and achievements during his time in the national office of the PSA.

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 Sir Jon Murphy, Professor of Advanced Policing Studies at Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) and former Chief Constable of Merseyside Police about the untapped academic resource in fighting organised crime, targeting criminal communications, and the challenges of technological change.

ANALYSIS: With the heightened global focus on legitimacy and professional standards within policing, a new report by Manhattan Institute Adjunct Fellow Dorothy Moses Schulz explores the issues around rogue ‘wandering cops’, including the recruitment pressures on police departments, efforts to make decertification easier and introduce more widespread licensing, and the need for clear language in any future legislation.

INTERVIEW: Once a hotbed of 1970s counterculture, Austin in Texas has a reputation as a progressive, fast-changing city, with all the policing challenges that a modern urban environment brings; Policing Insight’s Christine Townsend spoke to Austin Police Department Chief Joseph Chacon about meeting those challenges – including recruitment, community safety and racial inequality – and his own style of leadership.

OPINION: As a global leader in online safety, Australia was the natural destination for European Commission delegates looking to learn more and share best practice around online regulation and child protection ahead of introducing new European legislation; Julie Inman Grant, Australia’s eSafety Commissioner, believes the visit marked a watershed moment of international collaboration in the fight against online child sexual exploitation.