Topical issues

INTERVIEW: New research highlights the gaps in police awareness and understanding of ‘non-fungible tokens’ (NFTs) and their exploitation – particularly by organised crime gangs – in areas such as theft and money laundering; Professors Saskia Hufnagel and Colin King of the University of Sydney Law School spoke to Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons about the fear police are “multiple steps” behind criminals in investigating NFT crimes, the call for better training, and the need for more legal clarity based on case law.

INTERVIEW: A research team led by academics from the United Kingdom and America is pioneering a ‘self-determination theory’ approach to inclusivity training for police officers; the team believe that if successful, the programme – currently being piloted by Brazil’s Federal Police – could have “an impact across the world”, as Dr Maya Al-Khouja explained to Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons.

OPINION: One high-profile element of the UK Government’s proposals on police reform is the introduction of a ‘licence to practise’ for officers; police ethics advisor Montell Neufville argues that, with a ‘four P’s’ approach – based on promote, praise, prevent and punish – and a tiered accountability framework, the license to practice for police could become a license to trust for the public.

OPINION: In their analysis of some of the key measures in the recent UK Government policing reform paper, Leeds Trinity University Associate Professor Jonathan Jackson and Policing Lecturer Adam Stokes argue that commitment to reform will need to be long-term and cross-party to succeed, and that some of the proposals appear to offer macro solutions to micro problems.

FEATURE: Research by the Youth Endowment Fund among 13-17-year-olds in England and Wales indicates that 240,000 youngsters had been or in a gang, while 440,000 criminally exploited teenagers had been approached to sell or transport drugs, or store drugs, weapons or money; but the study also highlights that more teenagers have left gangs than are currently involved with them, suggesting “timely and co-ordinated support” can give them “a real chance to live a life free from violence”, reports Sarah Gibbons.

OPINION: In the wake of the recent attempted bombing in Perth being declared a terrorist act, and growing concerns around hate crime and extremism, Australia’s Independent National Security Legislation Monitor is now undertaking an inquiry into the country’s legal definition of terrorism; Griffith University Associate Professor Dr Keiran Hardy explores the current definition and related offences, why the wording is so important, and whether the existing legal definition is fit for purpose.

FEATURE: The increase in online Holocaust denial and disinformation, alongside the social media surge in both antisemitic and anti-Islamic language, have prompted concerns that such digital hate speech can fuel criminal acts in the real world; Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth looks at the scale of online antisemitic hate crime and the work of the European Observatory of Online Hate.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children says GenAI-related child exploitation increased 6,345% in the US from 2024 to 2025. One alarming trend is the use of GenAI to general deepfake child sexual abuse materials. SS8 helps detect and investigate these images by combining EXIF metadata analysis, third party detection solutions like wasitAI, lawful intelligence data, and more, but standardized legal definitions and technological guardrails are necessary as well.

ANALYSIS: The UK Government’s recently published white paper on police reform included proposals for a Senior National Co-ordinator for public order policing, to be based in the new National Police Service; Policing Insight’s Graham Wettone, a former Metropolitan Police officer and public order specialist, explores the proposals outlined in the paper, as well as setting out the need for a wider review of approaches to public order policing as part of the reform process.

OPINION: With UK police reform now firmly on the agenda, ethics specialist Dr Richard Cockbain sets out why policing needs to shift its focus from the risk-averse approach of minimising failure at all costs to recognising, articulating and learning from successes, and the challenges around culture, structure and incentive that will need to be addressed if reform is to deliver positive transformation.

INTERVIEW: With the growth of online hate speech and disinformation, and its role in fuelling real-world criminal activity, tackling the damaging digital narratives has become a priority for many organisations and jurisdictions; Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth spoke to Paula Gomila Marqués, who contributes to the implementation, stakeholder engagement, and dissemination activities of the European Union’s HATEDEMICS project, which seeks to address the intersection of online hate speech and disinformation.

OPINION: Failures around police vetting in the UK have recently been under the spotlight, particularly in relation to the relaxation of measures in order to hit recruitment targets; Avesta Afshari-Mehr, a Durham University student and scrutiny and accountability volunteer with Durham Police and Crime Commissioner’s Office, believes a national vetting standard is essential in light of his own experiences of the application and vetting process.

INNOVATION: A new Wellbeing and Trauma Resilience Programme launched by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) – with funding secured from external sources – is focusing on stepping into the “proactive space” around wellbeing support, with group EMDR therapy, peer support groups, a new app, and psychoeducation for new recruits at the PSNI Police College among the range of measures that are already proving successful, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

INSIGHT: The Canadian Integrated Ballistics Identification Network (CIBIN) has become a valuable tool in firearms investigation, turning ballistic evidence into actionable intelligence capable of linking cases, suspects, and criminal networks; but to ensure that CIBIN increases the capability to combat gun crime, law enforcement must continue to prioritise data and intelligence collection and sharing, say Vernon White, former head of Ottawa Police, and Soham Thorat, a technical and strategic expert in firearms intelligence.

FEATURE: A report on the scale of violence experienced by young people aged 13-17 in England and Wales – one of four reports drawn from a survey undertaken by the Youth Endowment Fund – found that half of them had witnessed violence, nearly one in five had been a victim, and one in eight admitted carrying out violence themselves, while more than 80% of those aged 13-17 have viewed conversations online about hurting specific groups, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

ANALYSIS: The role played by artificial intelligence (AI) in the decision by West Midlands Police to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv fans – a move which led to the retirement of Chief Constable Craig Guildford – highlighted concerns about the police use of AI; organisational psychologist Michael Stephenson applies the latest research framework on the risks AI poses to civic institutions to assess the West Midlands Police case (in an article that itself contains analysis generated by Claude Opus 4.5 AI).

OPINION: In response to an apparent surge in youth gang crime, Victoria Police in Australia have reportedly begun issuing ‘anti-association orders’ to prevent youngsters being drawn into gangs; but Dr Kathryn Benier of Monash University and Dr Angela Higginson of Queensland University of Technology argue that alongside clearer understanding of why young people join gangs, better funded early intervention and prevention programs are needed for sustainable reductions in youth violence and gang involvement.

FEATURE: This year will see the launch of two new counter-terrorism initiatives in the UK – a register of specialists who can provide protective security and preparedness advice for businesses and organisations, and a new regulation training individuals to provide counter-terrorism advice and preparedness measures in the workplace – which are both part of the broader response to the Manchester Arena bombing under the aegis of what has become known as ‘Martyn’s Law’, as Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth explains.

OPINION: In the wake of last week’s UK Government white paper on police reform, Emily Spurrell, Chair of the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC), explains that while PCCs welcome modernisation of the service, the APCC has concerns over the accountability of policing – and particularly the new National Police Service – under the reform plans, as well as the risks of stifling local innovation, and the need to safeguard the future of victim and crime prevention services pioneered by PCCs.

FEATURE: In the latest in The Police Student series focusing on Community and Neighbourhood Policing, Policing Insight Academic Editor Dr Carina O’Reilly explores the issues of police visibility and public perception, its impact on reassurance and confidence in policing, and the effectiveness of foot patrols.

FEATURE: A report capturing key insights, challenges, and priorities identified during a roundtable on intelligence and serious and organised crime (SOC) – featuring officers and intelligence leads from more than 30 UK forces alongside regional organised crime units and overseas partners – is calling for intelligence to be repositioned as the “strategic engine” in the fight against SOC, and sets out steps to build capacity and embed an intelligence-led culture, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

FEATURE: As the scale and complexity of financial crime, fraud and cyber-crime continue to grow in the UK and globally, Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons explores two new measures to tackle the challenges – the creation of the We Fight Fincrime Association, and the launch of the victim-centred Report Fraud service by City of London Police.

OPINION: In the wake of the publication of the UK Government’s white paper on police reform for England and Wales, former chief officer Will Kerr highlighted four key challenges, drawing on lessons learned during restructuring in Scotland and Northern Ireland; in this longer-read article, he expands on those points, exploring the challenges facing the reform intent set out in the paper, and suggests steps that can be taken to ensure the process is more effective.

INNOVATION: The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in policing and the criminal justice system is gathering pace, and is being presented by some as ‘miracle tonic’; ahead of this week’s Beyond Bureaucracy 2026 free online conference exploring practical examples of what AI is working in the criminal justice system (and what’s not), Tamara Polajnar, CEO of event hosts herEthical AI, sets out some key points around AI fallacies, practical frameworks for development and procurement, and a checklist of questions to pose to vendors.