Topical issues

FEATURE: In 2014, Australia’s eSafety Commissioner became the world’s first online safety regulator; Julie Inman-Grant, who took up the Commissioner’s post in 2017, believes that the organisation’s model of protection, prevention, and proactive and systemic change – backed this year by new online safety legislation – has helped to create a successful blueprint that other countries are now looking to follow.

FEATURE: Giving victims a voice, the power of the press and politicians, and learning lessons to prevent future harm will be among the topics covered at this year’s Cumberland Lodge Police Conference; Hertfordshire PCC David Lloyd, a member of the conference steering committee, outlines some of the key issues around the themes of law enforcement and reconciliation that will be explored during the two-day online event.

OPINION: Modernisation and digital transformation are at the heart of creating a police service capable of protecting communities against future threats; policing adviser and former deputy chief constable Paul Kennedy, and James Cottam of IT recruitment specialists Futures, believe the key to delivering the fast, versatile and responsive transformation required is through a hybrid, collaborative approach to building teams with the necessary skills and expertise.

INNOVATION: With the national police recruitment uplift programme well underway, and many forces also looking to recruit additional officers on top of those identified by the Government, Hayley Wallis, Recruitment Marketing Lead at Lancashire Police, explains how the implementation of a flexible communications platform at the organisation has helped to drive recruitment.

OPINION: While new technology offers huge advances for policing, the public focus is often on the associated risks of over-reach (real or perceived) and the impact on human rights, and Facial Recognition Technology (FRT) is no different; but Dr Craig Jones of Stats NZ believes the New Zealand Police approach to FRT – committing to transparency and accountability, and addressing concerns through open conversation – can help to maintain public trust and deliver real benefits.

INTERVIEW: As part of the process of compiling the recent CoPaCC Future Police Contact Management report produced in partnership with Salesforce, Policing Insight Editor Keith Potter spoke to PSNI ACC Alan Todd, the NPCC Lead for Contact Management, about the key issues facing policing in relation to public contact – from the increasingly complex nature of demand, to the growth of digital and expanding channel options, the continuing impact of the pandemic, and the long-term challenges and technological opportunities.

INTERVIEW: This week sees the Police Federation of England and Wales hold its annual conference online; ahead of the event, Vice-Chair Ché Donald spoke to Policing Insight’s Bernard Rix on the impact of the pandemic on policing – from the added strain on officer wellbeing and mental health, to trial by media and increasing diversity.

FEATURE: A judge-led review of missing persons investigations in Canada – prompted by the murders of eight gay or bisexual men in the Toronto area by serial killer Bruce McArthur – has recommended a new approach to cases that draws on models from other countries including the UK; Policing Insight Deputy Editor Sarah Gibbons reports on the review, and the launch of an international database to share good practice.

FEATURE: Continuing a new series of The Police Student, Policing Insight Academic Editor Dr Carina O’Reilly explores the social and historical context of the British police. She shows how tensions that have been present from the foundation of the police are still relevant to policing in the 21st century – and draws lessons from policing history that can be applied to the present day.

OPINION: Levels of violent crime across America saw an unprecedented increase in 2020, and remain worryingly high in 2021; in this latest essay from the Violence Reduction Project, Dr Laura Huey, Professor of Sociology at the University of Western Ontario, argues that programs for ‘supportive reporting’ have the potential to reduce often unrecorded violence through increased reporting, not something easily dismissed.

OPINION: Already referred to as ‘the most surveilled nation on Earth’, the UK looks set to invest in more CCTV through a funding boost to the Safer Streets initiative; but Professor William Webster of Stirling University believes that expanding the existing disparate and fragmented CCTV ecosystem neglects the wider societal change required for women to feel safer in public places.

OPINION: Later this month the Cumberland Lodge Police Conference will focus on law enforcement and reconciliation, and how to address the complex issues around past harms; Met Police Assistant Commissioner Robert Beckley, currently leading the Operation Resolve investigation into the Hillsborough Disaster, highlights some of the challenges in balancing calls for sanctions, retribution and formal accountability, with the importance of learning, understanding and healing.

INNOVATION: The fast pace of development in drone technology represents an ever-evolving range of threats – particularly in the hands of terrorists; Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth looks at the new counter-UAV training for first responders being delivered as part of DroneWISE, and how the project is helping to improve co-ordination and co-operation between countries and agencies.

ANALYSIS: The N8 Policing Research Partnership is currently holding the Policing Innovation Forum, focusing on ‘Effective Partnerships in Policing’; At the first session in May, Dr Layla Skinns of the University of Sheffield presented on research on vulnerability in police custody, including the growing role of health care professionals and liaison and diversion, and the concept of ‘universal vulnerability’.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: Police forces in England and Wales face a huge challenge to recruit an extra 20,000 officers by 2023, but there are helpful lessons to be learned from elsewhere. PwC has been working with the Swedish Police, who have a similarly ambitious recruitment target. In their second article, Muz Janoowalla, Director of Data and Analytics at PwC UK, and Fredrik Birkeland, Public Sector Consultant at PwC Sweden, look at the Swedish experience of how data analysis of the applicants’ experience can provide insights to improve the application process.

INTERVIEW: Not all officers relish the prospect of a high-pressure ‘no-comment’ interview, where a suspect’s lack of response can lead to oppressive silences; but new research by Acting Detective Inspector Dan McCarthy of Sussex Police suggests additional training to master the uncomfortable interview room dynamics can lead to much more positive outcomes, as Policing Insight Deputy Editor Sarah Gibbons reports.

OPINION: The police and crime commissioner elections on 6 May saw a ‘blue wave’ of results, as Conservative successes dominated by more than three to one with 29 candidates elected, compared to only eight Labour, one Plaid-Cymru and no independents; Martyn Underhill, who stood down as independent PCC for Dorset at the last election, muses over the surprising election results and what they mean for policing.

VIOLENCE REDUCTION PROJECT: Levels of violent crime across America saw an unprecedented increase in 2020, and remain worryingly high in 2021; in this latest essay from the Violence Reduction Project, Chris Fisher, Executive Director of Strategic Initiatives at Seattle Police Department, says that any attempt to tackle the problem must focus on stopping the violence first, before wider public health and community approaches can be considered.

Policing Friendship Tour: Diversity in policing, the role of the College of Policing and the criminal inquiry into the Hillsborough disaster were among the topics discussed by Assistant Commissioner Rob Beckley and Policing Insight Publisher Bernard Rix, as Bernard embarked on the second leg of his Policing Friendship Tour in Somerset.

ANALYSIS: The debate over the benefits of double-crewed versus single-crewed police response units has continued for some time, but new research from West Midlands Police indicates that pairing up is more productive, safer and delivers more successful outcomes; Policing Insight’s Ian Wiggett looks at how this new data can help to deliver a better assessment of the numbers required on response policing, and offer the best chance of detection in the safest way.

OPINION: A private members bill is currently being considered in the Parliament of the Australian Capital Territory that could see the possession of many illicit drugs for personal use decriminalised; Professor Nicole Lee of the National Drug Research Institute at Curtin University, and RMIT University Lecturer Jarryd Bartle believe the move is a natural conclusion to decades of research on drug-related harms.

OPINION: The Misuse of Drugs Act came into effect half a century ago, and while society, policing, and attitudes to and availability of drugs has changed significantly over those 50 years, the law has not; with billions spent on attempting to tackle an issue that has increased substantially since 1971, policing commentator and former drugs policy lead Ben Twomey believes that both an honest public debate over drugs, and a review of the Act, are long overdue.

OPINION: With Sadiq Khan re-elected as London Mayor, the focus now turns to one of the key issues of the campaign – tackling knife crime; Greg Berman, former Director of New York’s Center for Court Innovation, and Elizabeth Glazer, former Director of the Mayor of New York’s Office of Criminal Justice, believe there are lessons for London in the efforts of New York to tackle its own problem of criminal violence.

FEATURE: While COVID-19 restrictions and lockdowns significantly impacted on criminal activity in many areas, the latest Europol report confirms that migrant smuggling and human trafficking quickly adapted to a new normal; Policing Insight’s Chris Allen looks at the scale of the problem, efforts to target smuggling and trafficking operations, and the trade-off between the right to privacy and the criminal exploitation of encrypted communications channels.