Topical issues

OPINION: Serious public disorder has been a regular feature of news bulletins in recent weeks, from Bristol and Clapham Common to Belfast and Ballymena; public order expert and former chief superintendent Owen West believes a lack of clarity over coronavirus regulation has been a major factor – and if unresolved, could lead to a summer of potentially violent unrest.

ANALYSIS: With countries across Europe engaged in their own efforts to tackle the coronavirus pandemic, the latest Serious and Organised Crime Threat Assessment from Europol suggests COVID-19 could be a key driver in future organised crime, alongside geopolitical changes and the online criminal economy, reports Policing Insight Deputy Editor Sarah Gibbons.

ANALYSIS: Vulnerability is increasingly important to operational policing - but how can these complex narratives be best embedded in police education? Jennifer Norman and Dr Emma Williams of the Open University discuss the development of an interdisciplinary approach.

FEATURE: Continuing a new series of The Police Student, Policing Insight Academic Editor Dr Carina O’Reilly explores the key issue of ‘What is policing?’ In this article she looks at a range of models that have been used to try to represent or modify how policing works in different countries, and also examines the leading contemporary model of Evidence-Based Policing.

ANALYSIS: Despite frequent large seizures and law enforcement agency successes, the supply of illicit drugs into Australia continues to grow; In their latest report, Dr John Coyne and Dr Teagan Westendorf of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute examine the expanding nature of the country’s international narcotics supply chain, and what steps can be taken to disrupt it.

FEATURE: Forty years ago this month, rioting erupted in Brixton – and later in 1981 across the country – leading to one of the most significant inquiries into policing in the UK; in the first of a two-part feature, Dr Wendy Laverick of Hull University and Professor Peter Joyce of Wrexham Glyndŵr University explore the context and key recommendations for police reform from the Scarman report.

OPINION: Canada already has strict gun laws in place, at least in comparison to its US neighbour; but Carleton University’s Noah Schwartz believes that attempts to introduce new American-style firearms legislation could create confusion and inconsistencies, while doing little to dissuade criminals from using guns.

OPINION: Levels of violent crime across America saw an unprecedented increase in 2020; in this latest essay from the Violence Reduction Project, former NYPD Chief of Department Louis Anemone sets out some specific policing strategies for reducing violence in the city, including increased solo foot patrols, a reduction in specialised roles, and an embargo on sworn officers filling administrative posts.

OPINION: While COVID-19 and other immediate challenges have seen many sectors including policing focus on the present, the challenges of the future still need to be considered and addressed; Police Superintendents’ Association President Paul Griffiths looks at some of the key issues highlighted by futures thinking, and the steps the service should be taking to address them.

FEATURE: As religious worshippers around the world celebrate Easter – one of the main events in the Christian calendar – Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth reports on latest efforts by law enforcement agencies across Europe to protect places of worship from terrorist attack and hate crimes.

OPINION: The murder of Sarah Everard, and the review into the policing of the Clapham Common vigil, have highlighted key issues around police action in the UK and public confidence; London Policing College Director Rod Jarman, a former senior Met Police officer, explores some of those wider concerns, and outlines steps the service could take to promote reassurance and real change.

FEATURE: Research by the Revolving Doors Agency has highlighted the impact of trauma and poverty on young adults, and urged policing to adopt a ‘smarter approach’ to divert young adults from the spiral of repeat offending; Lancashire Chief Constable Andy Rhodes is among those calling for change, including mandatory trauma training for officers, as Policing Insight Deputy Editor Sarah Gibbons reports.

POLICING FRIENDSHIP TOUR: From maps and medical supplies to sleeping bags and the SmartLav+, preparations are now well underway for Policing Insight Publisher Bernard Rix, as he gets ready to embark on the Policing Friendship Tour, a walking tour of UK police forces to raise funds and awareness of police wellbeing; but with lockdown restrictions still limiting accommodation options, suitable sites to pitch a tent are at a premium – so can you help?

ANALYSIS: A new report on the global illicit economy and the activities of transnational organised crime groups has warned that the impact of the pandemic could see many criminal networks growing in power and influence; Policing Insight’s Chris Allen looks at the predicted trajectory for OCGs, as well as some of the steps that could be taken to halt them.

OPINION: With UK policing seemingly under constant scrutiny and a barrage of criticism, former Derbyshire Police officer Rob Smallwood, now a Senior Lecturer at Staffordshire University's Institute of Policing, considers what drives allegiance to policing, and the sense of shared commitment to the police oath.

FEATURE: Super-recognisers – those people with exceptional abilities in recognising faces – have already been successfully deployed by police forces in the UK and elsewhere; but new research by Dr Josh Davis and Ryan Jenkins of the University of Greenwich, and David James Robertson of the University of Strathclyde, suggest those with excellent voice-recognition skills could play a similar role for law enforcement.

OPINION: Levels of violent crime across America saw an unprecedented increase in 2020; in this latest essay from the Violence Reduction Project, Professor Justin Nix argues that revisiting a successful St Louis ‘consent to search’ project which took more than 400 guns off the street could reduce violence and save lives.

OPINION: From policing the pandemic and public order to undue political influence, the impact on officer wellbeing and the lack of nuanced, detailed debate about what society wants from its police service, it’s clear that law enforcement in the UK is facing significant challenges; author and former Met Police Chief Superintendent John Sutherland sets out some of those key challenges, along with an 11-step blueprint for how the service can respond to them.

INTERVIEW: Ahead of this week’s launch of the UK’s new Police Digital Service, Policing Insight Deputy Editor Sarah Gibbons spoke to CEO Ian Bell about the transition from the Police ICT Company,the pace of technological change in policing, and the aims and ambitions of the new organisation.

FEATURE: Just over a quarter of all UK police officers are response officers, but do those in this front-line role get the recognition, reassurance and support they need for taking on one of policing’s toughest challenges on a daily basis? Detective Chief Superintendent Una Jennings of South Yorkshire Police highlights the key themes and comments from the recent @WeCops Twitter chat on response policing.

Feature: As the Inquiry into the 2017 Manchester Arena terror attack continues, there is work behind the scenes to update the Joint Doctrine, the interoperability framework for UK emergency service responders; Carl Daniels of JESIP spoke to Policing Insight’s Catherine Levin about the consultation and how it has never been more important to work together.

INTERVIEW: A six-month trial of armed response teams in New Zealand last year didn’t lead to the routine arming of officers; now New Zealand Police Association President Chris Cahill is calling for a national firearms register to be urgently introduced, to cut the number of guns going to criminals, as Policing Insight Deputy Editor Sarah Gibbons reports.

OPINION: Frustrated at being unheard, and feeling – in the context of protest at least – they are losing the battle of public opinion, UK policing has been left to fight alone in a no-win situation; what happens next is crucial, says public order expert and former Chief Superintendent Owen West, and cannot be allowed to risk the covenant between police and communities.

ANALYSIS: While the UK, North America and Europe have taken steps to list violent far-right groups as terrorist organisations, Australia has been slower to make the same move; Analyst Dr Teagan Westendorf of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute believes it’s important to do so soon – and in a meaningful way – to enable police to tackle the threat.