Topical issues

Opinion: The arrest of one of the world’s most wanted alleged drugs lords has sparked debate around strategies to best tackle organised crime and minimise the harm caused to communities; Dr John Coyne, Head of Strategic Policing and Law Enforcement Program at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, explains the need for a more nuanced approach, rather than simply decapitating OC groups.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: The disruptive events of 2020 present new pathways for public sector organisations to accelerate the progress they’ve already made in advancing their digital ambitions. But first they need to overcome legacy challenges to achieve a single view of their citizens and start small to harness innovation.

FEATURE: A new research project involving the National Police Chiefs' Council, the PSHE Association and the London School of Economics has highlighted the significant benefits of enabling training officers to deliver lessons in schools on issues such as drugs and the law; Prof Jon Jackson of LSE and Dr Chris Pósch of UCL explain the project and the importance of the findings.

FEATURE: As the UK celebrates the 14th National Apprenticeship Week, Policing Insight talks to SFJ Awards about their work with police apprentices, and to Thames Valley Police about the benefits of apprenticeship routes into policing – as well as the wide range of opportunities for apprentices of all ages.

ANALYSIS: Dr George Karystianis and Professor Tony Butler of the University of New South Wales have used data mining techniques to analyse almost half a million police reports of domestic violence, revealing that mental health issues play a key role in the crime for both victims and perpetrators.

OPINION: With the COVID-19 lockdown pushing the Crown Court backlog of cases to 54,000 and rising, finding ways to safely speed up the delivery of justice are crucial; Dr Johann Grundlingh, CEO of SFR Medical, believes streamlining the medical evidence process could bring real benefits.

Insight: The Police Code of Ethics applies equally to all areas of policing and data should not be considered in isolation as a different topic, argues the NPCC lead on ethics; Policing Insight Deputy Editor Sarah Gibbons explains his views and those of others seeking to embed transparency around data use in police decision-making.

ANALYSIS: Levels of violent crime across America saw an unprecedented increase in 2020; in this latest essay from the Violence Reduction Project, Professors Jerry Ratcliffe and Evan Sorg – both former police officers – argue that effective use of foot patrol could be the key to re-engaging with communities and reducing violence.

Insight: Cumbria’s use of Microsoft Teams has snowballed during the coronavirus pandemic and UK lockdown; Policing Insight Deputy Editor Sarah Gibbons looks at some of the innovative uses of the system, and how public engagement and officer satisfaction levels have benefited.

ANALYSIS: Policing Insight’s Chris Allen examines how the pandemic has forced drug traffickers to change tried and tested smuggling routes, and explores how this will impact on the new transit countries as well as the wider European cocaine trade.

OPINION: Superintendent Simon Nelson, President of the Disabled Police Association, calls for more consistent recognition and resources for staff networks, and questions whether forces across England and Wales are really engaging with their internal diverse communities.

FEATURE: Bringing forces, chief constables, PCCs, the Home Office and suppliers together to unite behind the Police National Digital Strategy will be ‘complicated’, NPCC Chair Martin Hewitt told this week’s Police Digital Summit; but delivering the Strategy is essential if policing is to retain legitimacy with the public.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: The Police Foundation’s 2021 annual conference, running online from 23rd to 25th February, will explore what kind of skills and capabilities police officers and staff will require as we approach the middle of the twenty first century.

Analysis: A layered co-governance framework that co-ordinates police experience, social science expertise and the public perspective is the ideal structure for the implementation of automated facial recognition systems, and as such is urgently required, argues Isabella Duan, Laidlaw Scholar at University College London.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: Frontline Fulfilment is a collaborative event between the emergency services and education sectors, highlighting the opportunities for a ‘people-first’ future by exploring both common concerns and potential shared solutions; Mightify CEO Tom Wheelhouse explains the thinking behind next week’s free event, and what it aims to achieve.

FEATURE: The Coronavirus pandemic has put huge pressures on the criminal justice system, and could have an impact on the courts and policing for many years to come; Policing Insight Deputy Editor Sarah Gibbons looks at two recent reports that both warn of critical risks and the need for a radical overhaul.

FEATURE: Against a backdrop of unprecedented rising violence in 2020 – with murders across the biggest 65 cities in the US increasing collectively by a third – Professor Peter Moskos, a former Baltimore police officer, launched the Violence Reduction Project; in this first in a series of essays from practitioners, experts and academics, he highlights the aims of the Project, and the need for urgent action.

Analysis: Amid concerns that rising levels of large scale VAT fraud now represent a national security threat, Andrew Staniforth examines how new working arrangements between the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) and Europol will be vital in ensuring that essential information sharing mechanisms are in place for effective investigations.

OPINION: Debates around ‘warrior cop’ masculinity and excessive use of force in policing have continued in the wake of the death of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter protests; but suggestions that simply hiring more women will change police culture are flawed, says Harvard Masters candidate Diane Liang.

OPINION: The Police Superintendents’ Association (PSA), which represents officers in forces across England and Wales as well as those in the Isle of Man, Bermuda and Gibraltar, recently announced the launch of a programme of CPD events for superintendents, in collaboration with the College of Policing; PSA President Paul Griffiths discusses why the need for professional development never ends, regardless of rank.

Announcement: Given the global pandemic, the World Class Policing Awards team regret to announce that the hugely successful World Class Policing Awards will now be postponed until 2022.

OPINION: Scholars and practitioners have debated the extent to which terrorism and organised crime form a nexus. Serving officer Martin Gallagher examines the evidence - and concludes that, regardless of the overlap, the criminal justice system needs to be alive to the distinction in motivations between serious and organised criminals, and those engaged in terrorist activities.

FEATURE: Now the dust has settled on the Brexit agreement, Policing Insight’s Chris Allen examines the impact that the UK’s deal with the EU will have on information exchange, collaboration and co-operation, and the policing of serious and organised crime.

FEATURE: A new book by the former Director of GCHQ the UK’s first Security and Intelligence Co-ordinator outlines some of the key skills and attributes required of spies; but as Policing Insight's Andrew Staniforth reports, the book includes approaches and attitudes that would benefit any police officer involved in intelligence gathering and analytical thinking.