Topical issues

FEATURE: The recently published UK Government Cyber Security Strategy highlights the need for the public sector to defend against ‘relentless’ attacks from an ‘ever-expanding array’ of adversaries, and commits the Government to local and international collaboration as well as promoting careers in public sector cyber security, as Policing Insight Deputy Editor Sarah Gibbons reports.

ANALYSIS: As global police leaders gather in Dubai for the World Police Summit, and with international attention focused on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Dr Victoria Herrington, Director Knowledge at the Australian Institute of Police Management (AIPM), explores what the institution of policing stands for, why it needs to care about what’s happening in Ukraine, and what we could and should be doing to promote a shared responsibility for public safety.

OPINION: With public trust and confidence in UK policing currently a widely debated topic, Peter Edge, former SIO and Head of Training for Merseyside Police, looks at the importance of recognising and retaining both explicit and tacit knowledge within policing, and how addressing the issue effectively can help to strengthen the relationship with the public.

ANALYSIS: As well as changing society, the Covid pandemic has changed crime, as the disarray caused by rapidly introduced polices at national and international levels has presented all sorts of opportunities for criminals; Policing Insight’s Chris Allen examines one particular growth area of illicit activity – the sale of counterfeit COVID-19 passports.

Interview: Having worked her way up from secretary to a senior police role, Denver PD Deputy Chief Barb Archer has drawn on her diverse experiences to create a leadership style that is widely respected and admired; she spoke to Policing Insight’s Christine Townsend about leadership, the need to improve diversity within policing, and what drives her to continue achieving.

FEATURE: Examples of forensic entomology – the use of insects in criminal investigations – can be traced back to the 13th century, and today flies and other insects can help to identify everything from a murder victim’s use of ketamine or cocaine, to the chemicals used in pet poisonings; Forensic Biologist Paola Magni of Murdoch University in Western Australia explains the forensic insights we can already gain from flies, and what more we could learn.

ANALYSIS: Fraud is now the most common crime in England and Wales, costing the UK economy £137bn each year; in this article, Richard Hyde, Scott Corfe and Bill Anderson-Samways of the Social Market Foundation (SMF) examine the inadequacy of police resource dedicated to tackling the problem, and call on the Government to take a comprehensive ‘systems approach’ to tackling fraud, enacting reforms that can endure over decades.

FEATURE: With the Russian invasion of Ukraine once again highlighting the key role that social media and digital communications play in international state actions and legitimacy, Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth looks at a new European research project on the impact of online networks on politics and democracy, which could have significant implications for policing and the rule of law.

ANALYSIS: In the latest in our series of articles on continuing professional development (CPD), Dr Paul Walley, Director of Learning at the Open University’s Centre for Policing Research and Learning, looks at how combinations of learning options – including experiential learning cycles, and ‘flipping the classroom’ – can lead to ‘light bulb moments’ and more effective outcomes for policing CPD.

ANALYSIS: While the digital revolution has created new methods for criminals to sexually exploit and traffic people, it has also increased the ability of law enforcement and others to target offenders and protect those at risk; in this briefing paper Nicole Munns and Dr Gabriel Katz of Justice & Care, which rescues victims of slavery and human trafficking around the world, explore some of the challenges and opportunities offered by the growth of digital intelligence.

OPINION: Proactive policing strategies can be key tools in tackling crimes that blight neighbourhoods – but over-used or applied in isolation, they can do severe damage to community relations; Andrew Trevino, a Detective Investigator with San Antonio PD and passionate advocate for proactive policing, looks at some of the main proactive strategies employed by US forces, and shares his own experiences of why respect is an equally essential part of the officer toolkit.

FEATURE: The final report of the Strategic Review of Policing in England and Wales calls for radical change and a fundamental redesign to create a service that can keep pace with the public safety demands of the 21st century; Police Foundation Director Rick Muir, who led the organisation’s work on the Review, sets out the key steps he believes the service needs to take to meet the capacity, capability and organisational challenges of the future.

ANALYSIS: As events get underway around the world to mark International Women’s Day – with a theme of ‘Gender equality today, for a sustainable tomorrow’ – Dr Sarah Jane Fox of the University of Leicester looks at the continuing efforts to accelerate women’s equality both in policing and wider society, and the challenges and barriers that still remain.

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 Ian Broughton, a former detective sergeant and specialist drug advisor with London’s Metropolitan Police and now a drugs expert witness and trainer, about targeting drug gangs, deterring criminals, and the challenges police face with encryption.

FEATURE: When a police officer behaves in a way that harms individuals, colleagues and the community they service, it’s important that others intervene as early as possible to ensure those actions and attitudes don’t escalate; former Scottish police officer and active bystander trainer Graham Goulden explains the thinking behind the approach, and what forces need to be doing to equip officers with effective intervention skills.

FEATURE: The issue of poor mental health in UK policing and the impact of high-risk, high-stress roles has long been recognised, but despite efforts to address the problem, significant challenges in encouraging and enabling officers to access support still remain; Mike Isherwood, founder and CEO of Softable and Chair of the BAPCO Business Group, explores some of the key issues and barriers to support, as well as his own fundraising and awareness challenge as the ‘10K-A-DAY GUY’.

FEATURE: KOPS – Keeping Our People Supported – is a new app launched by An Garda Síochána to provide around-the-clock support for officers and staff as well as the wider force family; Alison Keogh of the force’s Strategic Transformation Office talked to Policing Insight Deputy Editor Sarah Gibbons about the importance of making advice and support services accessible, anonymous, and relevant to a wide range of issues.

OPINION: For over a decade, public safety officials have recognised that the capacity to retain current highly trained staff and recruit next generation professionals is central to public service success; the University of Southampton’s Dr Fatema Zaghloul, and Justin Partridge of the University of Leeds, explore talent management in the public safety sector and reflect on previous endeavours to attract next generation professionals.

FEATURE: The lengthy ‘vaccine mandate’ protests in front of New Zealand’s Parliament in Wellington have been challenging to police, and have attracted a wide range of extreme activists; Massey University Professor Paul Spoonley argues that such extremism has been evident in New Zealand society for some time – more information and action will be needed to tackle it going forwards.

INTERVIEW: From recruitment shortages to reducing violence and building community relations, police leaders across the US are facing some tough challenges; and for Laura Cooper, Executive Director of the Major Cities Chiefs Association, they are challenges which she is determined to help policing to overcome, as she explained to Policing Insight’s Christine Townsend.

ANALYSIS: The combination of a rapidly growing population and historically low staffing levels means that officers within Toronto Police Service (TPS) face increased risk of stress, physical and mental injury, and struggle to deliver the best service to the city’s community; to help address those challenges, Toronto Police Association (TPA) has been working with TPS to analyse officer workloads and identify improved alternative shift patterns, as TPA President Jon Reid explains.

ANALYSIS: Three recent high-profile firearms cases involving the UK’s National Crime Agency have underlined the continuing fight against the flow of illegal guns into criminal hands; and as Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth reports, tackling the trade and trafficking in illicit firearms is a challenge that will involve collaboration and co-operation across Europe.

FEATURE: A report by a cross-party committee of UK MPs into the police complaints system has called for a change in culture to improve co-operation with the Independent Office for Police Conduct, as well as an expanded role for police and crime commissioners, as Policing Insight’s Keith Potter reports.

OPINION: As the search for a new commissioner of London’s Metropolitan Police Service gets underway, change consultant Luftur Ali, Senior Policy Advisor to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and a former Associate of the College of Policing, sets out some of the key changes he believes the force needs to make – and the challenges facing the next head of the Met – if it is to improve community relationships and regain its position as an employer of choice.