Topical issues

FEATURE: Previous incarnations of online learning in policing left many underwhelmed and uninspired, with stories of officers struggling to absorb information or simply clicking through pages as fast as possible to complete a module; in the first of a new series of articles on continuing professional development, Dr Matthew Jones of the Open University’s Centre for Policing Research and Learning sets out to dispel some long-held myths and explore the new world of blended learning.

FEATURE: The killing of George Floyd and the ongoing debate about police reform pushed Minneapolis Police Department firmly into the spotlight, and prompted a recent vote on significant changes to policing in the city; Professor Michelle Phelps of the University of Minnesota explored the background to why voters rejected the proposed changes, and what that decision means in the wider context of police reform.

OPINION: While there was a familiar ring to much of the UK Government’s recently unveiled ‘Beating Crime Plan’, continuing pressure on resources (both human financial) means delivering a new-look local policing approach is still a major challenge; Steve Ainsworth, Executive Director of NEC Software Solutions UK, believes technology can lead to more effective targeting of offences and offenders, and give young-in-service officers the vital knowledge they need to succeed.

FEATURES: This week will see the launch of a new series of fortnightly articles on continuing professional development (CPD) in policing, written specifically for the Policing Insight audience by the team at the Open University’s Centre for Policing Research and Learning (CPRL); ahead of the first article, Dr Emma Williams, the CPRL’s Director of Research and Strategic Partnerships, explains the aim of the series and introduces the team behind it.

INTERVIEW: Cheshire Detective Sergeant Mark Naylor has delivered many powerful presentations on the suffering of sexual abuse victims, but it is not until well into the sessions that he reveals the experiences he is discussing are his own; this award-winning officer spoke to Policing Insight Deputy Editor Sarah Gibbons about the emotional and mental impact of abuse, the need for victims to take back control, and how forces can improve the service they deliver.

ANALYSIS: A recent report from the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime highlighted that while success in countering organised crime relies on international co-operation, countries were increasingly turning to national solutions; Policing Insight's Chris Allen looks at the crime-fighting scenarios suggested by the report, and how likely they are to be adopted by countries around the world.

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: Amid concerns that officers experiencing the mental health impact of critical firearms incidents were not receiving enough ‘return to work’ support, New Zealand Police have a adopted a peer-led approach to post-incident reintegration; Dr Anna Sutton of the University of Waikato explained to delegates at the recent Australia and New Zealand Society of Evidence-Based Policing (ANZSEBP) Conference how ongoing research to evaluate the programme could help to improve reintegration for affected officers.

POLICING FRIENDSHIP TOUR: National Police Chiefs’ Council Chair Martin Hewitt believes UK policing is facing a defining challenge in relation to public trust and confidence – one which will require officers and organisations to listen to and learn from those who experience prejudice – as he explained to Policing Insight Publisher Bernard Rix on a recent leg of the Policing Friendship Walking Tour.

ANALYSIS: As the UK continues to host the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26), GI-TOC Senior Analyst Summer Walker explains how organised environmental crime intensifies climate change – and the need for a response that is a targeted, sustainable intervention in the climate change mitigation arsenal.

OPINION: The UK has a lengthy tradition of problem-oriented policing (POP), but the enthusiasm for this long-term preventative approach has waxed and waned, and with it the impact of POP overall; however Professor Nick Tilley, a keen advocate, believes that a renewed commitment to the problem-solving mentality can reap benefits in enabling forces to meet many of the modern policing challenges.

POLICING FRIENDSHIP TOUR: Surrey Chief Constable Gavin Stephens, head of the NPCC Finance Co-ordination Committee, says this year’s pay freeze was a “bitter blow” for officers, but believes there are still plenty of opportunities to find efficiency gains in UK policing, as he explained to Policing Insight Publisher Bernard Rix during a recent leg of the Policing Friendship Walking Tour.

OPINION: ‘Degree gate’ – the apparent controversy over the value of policing degrees – has been a topic of conversation in UK policing circles and on social media for months; but for former chief superintendent Owen West, now a policing lecturer, the quality and depth of training, exposure to practical skills and enthusiasm of students suggests that much of the opposition to pre-join policing degrees must be based either in ignorance or cynicism.

FEATURE: As the UK hospitality industry emerges from pandemic restrictions there have been widespread reports of a surge in drinks being spiked in clubs and bars, and drinkers even being injected; Associate Professor Lata Gautam of Anglia Ruskin University believes that while a lack of data makes determining the level of spiking difficult, two recent online surveys suggest worryingly high incidence, as well as significant under-reporting.

FEATURE: With the site of a new National Cyber Force now confirmed – along with the centre’s role in “offensive cyber operations” – the UK has reinforced its position as a leading player in global cyber security; Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth looks at plans for the NCF, the country’s continuing efforts to build cyber capacity, and the opportunities for developing new uses of artificial intelligence within those disruptive technologies.

ANALYSIS: The Institute for Government’s (IfG) recently published Performance Tracker has highlighted the huge pressures faced by the UK’s public services during the pandemic, and policing was no exception; IfG Research Assistant Anoushka Kavanagh looks at the impact of Covid on police performance and activity, as well as the challenges that still remain, and what the latest Spending Review will mean for the service.

ANALYSIS: High-harm domestic abuse offenders are likely to have a criminal record and several police interactions before they are first reported for partner violence – and a small number go on to cause disproportionate harm – so could algorithms and machine learning help to target them early? This was one of the key questions considered by New South Wales Police Superintendent Andrew Hurst at last week’s rescheduled Australia and New Zealand Society of Evidence-Based Policing conference.

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 Dr James Windle, a Criminology Lecturer at University College Cork, about situational crime prevention, suppressing opium cultivation, and how he sees organised crime and the illegal drugs market evolving over the next decade.

FEATURE: The process of replacing the UK’s increasingly outdated Airwave communications network with a new Emergency Services Network (ESN) has been plagued by overruns and soaring additional costs; now the Competition and Markets Authority has launched an investigation into the Motorola-owned Airwave, amid concerns that the company is cashing in on the delays, as Policing Insight Editor Keith Potter reports.

OPINION: The pre-join degree scheme seems to be the ‘forgotten’ recruitment route for UK policing, argues Nottingham Trent University Policing Lecturer Phil Rudkin, with only three forces currently ready to accept recruits from these programmes; but with up to 2,600 pre-join graduates likely to enter the police recruitment pool by 2025, it’s time for forces and higher-education institutions to work together to improve this entry pathway into policing.

ANALYSIS: While the debate around raising the age of criminal responsibility in Australia continues, new research has highlighted the damaging long-term prospects of those very young offenders who first come into contact with police below the age of 10, and the need for more effective early interventions, as Detective Inspector Paul Hart of the Queensland Police Service told delegates at this week’s rescheduled Australia and New Zealand Society of Evidence-Based Policing (ANZSEBP) Conference.

POLICING FRIENDSHIP TOUR: West Mercia Police Community Support Officer Aidan Goundry believes introducing a limited promotion framework for PCSOs could help forces to retain experience and local engagement; he’s also preparing to embark on an international charity project delivering ambulances to The Gambia, as he explained to Policing Insight Publisher Bernard Rix during a recent leg of the Policing Friendship Walking Tour.

FEATURE: Police officers in Victoria, Australia may soon be given the power to grant on-the-spot family violence intervention orders; but while police argue the new powers are victim focused, others fear the orders could enable perpetrators to utilise the system as a weapon against victim-survivors, as Postdoctoral Research Fellow Ellen Reeves and Professor Kate Fitz-Gibbon of Monash University explain.