Topical issues

FEATURE: The sentencing in September of a UK-based people trafficking network highlighted the huge financial gains such gangs can make, and the continuing market in those who fall victim to modern slavery; but as Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth reports, efforts by the UK’s Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner to raise awareness of the problem (particularly in the financial sector) and develop a collaborative response should serve as a model for other agencies around the world.

OPINION: Against the backdrop of a shaken public confidence in policing following the Sarah Everard murder, the Conservative and Labour parties set out their law and order objectives during the recent conference season; but as Police Foundation Director Rick Muir reports, while politicians fought for the ‘tough on crime’ mantle, it is the largely overlooked shortage in investigative skills that is the real emerging crisis.

OPINION: Out-of-court disposals with conditions encouraging rehabilitation and reparation are set to be used more widely from 2023; but Fionnuala Ratcliffe, Research and Policy Lead for Transform Justice, warns that without stronger, clearer guidance, the greater use of conditional cautions could lead to more rather than fewer people being drawn into the criminal justice system.

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: The illegal trafficking of wild animals feeds a major global market, and involves a huge range of species; now a new series of briefings on this illicit trade – starting with a focus on live cheetahs and African Elephant ivory – is highlighting the challenges of tackling animal trafficking as well as how routes and markets have responded to COVID-19, as Policing Insight’s Chris Allen reports.

OPINION: The rapid advance of biometric technology is generating new identification and surveillance opportunities for the police and security sectors, alongside growing concern about oversight; Jessica Figueras, Vice-Chair of the UK Cyber Security Council (writing here in a private capacity) believes that improved ethical governance will be crucial as the use of biometrics expands – and the lack of ‘algorithmic inspection’ skills required to provide that governance could slow the pace of adoption.

FEATURE: Ahead of next week’s London Policing College workshops on International Perspectives of Policing in the Pandemic – the last in a series of workshops ahead of the 3rd International Police Education Conference in November – Dr Megan O’Neill, Associate Director of the Scottish Institute for Policing Research, and Professor Jonas Grutzpalk of the University of Applied Sciences for Public Administration of North Rhine-Westphalia, discuss the importance of the way COVID-19 is perceived and described by police and public.

INNOVATION: With pressure on police call handlers back up to levels not seen for many years, Steve Little from Frazer-Nash Consultancy assesses the options facing police leaders: either keep recruiting more staff in an ‘arms race’ that they can never win, or follow other sectors and turn to AI solutions that will deliver an automated experience for the citizen.

FEATURE: Tutor constables play an increasingly crucial role in socialising and mentoring new recruits, yet very little research has been undertaken on how the role is approached and delivered by forces and individual officers; Dr Emma Williams of the Open University and Dr Tom Cockcroft of Leeds Beckett University highlight the opportunities and challenges of the tutor constable programme, and explore how a new study could inform practice around tutoring for years to come.

POLICING FRIENDSHIP TOUR: Sopra Steria’s Public Safety MD Paul Bergin believes policing already has the technology to predict future crimes and identify future criminals; the bigger question is how that tech and data is used ethically, as he explained to Policing Insight Publisher Bernard Rix on a recent leg of the Policing Friendship Walking Tour.

ANALYSIS: Detectives and plain-clothes criminal investigators play a crucial role in most policing agencies – but what are the key characteristics required of an effective detective sergeant? New research by Queensland Police Service Detective Senior Sergeant Christopher Rahmann, and Associate Professor Marcus Harmes and Dr Shayne Baker of the University of Southern Queensland, explores the desirable knowledge, skills, experience and attributes for senior investigators and detectives.

FEATURE: Almost three years on from the disruption and economic damage caused by a rogue drone attack on the UK’s Gatwick Airport, law enforcement and those involved in the security of airspace are still acutely aware of the potential threat posed by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs); Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth reports on the latest exercise led by INTERPOL and Norwegian Police to identify counter-measures and share best practice.

ANALYSIS: Ahead of tomorrow’s London Policing College workshop on UK Policing Legitimacy – the fourth in a series of workshops organised by the College, leading up to the 3rd International Police Education Conference in November – Dr Andy Bain, Associate Professor at Ohio’s University of Mount Union, explores some of the key challenges facing policing that, although highlighted by the pandemic, existed before the arrival of COVID-19 and need addressing.

FEATURE: A renewed focus on community scrutiny of the use of force – highlighted in the wake of the killing of George Floyd, and encouraged by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services – has prompted Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire Police Joint Protective Services command to set up a tri-county independent scrutiny panel on police use of force; panel chair Montell Neufville explains how the panel was established and will operate.

ANALYSIS: A fatal shooting by An Garda Síochána officers in 2000 prompted close scrutiny of the force’s critical incident command structure, but there has been little formal review since reports into the incident were published in 2006/7; as part of his dissertation for an MSc in Policing, Policy and Leadership, serving specialist firearms officer Colin Dowling has compared current critical incident structures available to the force, identifying the best practice option for the Garda.

ANALYSIS: Fraud has been one of the biggest crime growth areas in the UK and internationally over the past five year, yet successive reports have highlighted an ineffective police response and a lack of support for victims; Portsmouth University Lecturer Paul Gilmour, a former police detective, examines why financial crimes are often the ‘poor relation’ when it comes to police investigation, and what can be done to address the challenges.

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 Michael Skidmore, a Senior Researcher at UK policing think tank the Police Foundation, whose numerous research projects include recent work on combatting fraud, and on the effectiveness of law enforcement in tackling online child sexual abuse.

ANALYSIS: Ahead of next week’s London Policing College workshop on UK Policing Legitimacy – the fourth in a series of workshops organised by the College, leading up to the 3rd International Police Education Conference in November – former Met Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Rod Jarman, Director of the College, looks at the risks and challenges emerging for policing in a ‘post-pandemic’ world, and assesses what steps need to be taken to maintain police effectiveness and legitimacy.  

POLICING FRIENDSHIP TOUR: Durham Police and Crime Commissioner Joy Allen believes some gambling companies are on a par with drug dealers when it comes to targeting those with disorders and addictions, and the resulting harms can often include acquisitive crime; it’s an issue which she hopes the APCC will be able to tackle in partnership with other agencies, as she explained to Policing Insight Publisher Bernard Rix on a recent leg of the Policing Friendship Walking Tour.

INNOVATION: The recent European Police Chiefs Convention was the setting for the first Europol Excellence Awards in Innovation, with a project creating a new tool to target online child sex abuse and a multinational collaboration tackling global malware scooping the prizes; Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth looks at the two award winners, as well as the wider issue of the importance of innovation in policing.

OPINION: The number of fatal police shootings in Australia reached a record high in 2019-20, against a backdrop of historically low levels of homicide and a general decline in crime; Dr Terry Goldsworthy of Bond University, who spent 28 years as a serving officer in Australia, believes that while policing is an inherently dangerous occupation, forces must avoid adopting an enforcement-only mentality.

INNOVATION: As delegates gather in Coventry for this week’s BAPCO public safety technology event, Simon Hall, CEO of police digital mobility platform PoliceBox, looks back at the predictions he was invited to make regarding police IT in 2006 – and the success stories, disappearing initiatives and surprise arrivals on the policing technology scene over the intervening 15 years.

FEATURE: While the Met Police’s performance in relation to violence against women, misogyny and sexual abuse have come under close scrutiny and prompted a high-profile inquiry, a project to improve working conditions for women and parents and deliver a cultural change within the force in relation to family friendly employment practices is already reaping rewards, as Policing Insight’s Deputy Editor Sarah Gibbons reports.

ANALYSIS: The recent rape and murder of Sarah Everard by a serving officer has prompted a greater focus on police who use their position to commit sexual offences, an area that has been the subject of research by a team at Bournemouth University for a number of years; in this article Lecturer Fay Sweeting, Dr Terri Cole and Professor Peter Hills highlight some key measures that can be taken to address the abuse of position.