Topical issues

INNOVATION: New technology using artificial intelligence to extract data from mobile phones is being used by Northamptonshire Police to enable officers to be “digitally advanced”, improve investigations, and save hundreds of officer hours in court, as Sgt Jason Cullum, the force’s Head of Innovation, explained to Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons.

OPINION: After three years as the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for Child Protection Abuse and Investigation, earlier this month former Merseyside Deputy Chief Constable Ian Critchley took up a new role at the College of Policing; in this article he looks back over his time in post, highlights the continuing efforts of police and partners to protect children from abuse, and calls on governments to take action to tackle what has become a ‘public health crisis’.

FEATURE: Operation First Light, the global police operation led by INTERPOL, secured impressive results, freezing more than 6,700 bank accounts and seizing assets worth $257 million; but as Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth reports, while the operational achievements deserve praise, the scale of this criminal endeavour highlights the continuing success of scammers who combine hi-tech channels with appeals to the most basic of human emotions.

OPINION: Having been elected as President of Police Superintendents’ Association of England and Wales earlier this month, Supt Nick Smart sets out some of the challenges facing officers in the superintending ranks – particularly around morale and wellbeing – and how the Association is aiming to shape reforms that will benefit the rank as well as the communities they serve.

INTERVIEW: With less than nine months until funding for the national programme to improve outcomes for Black people interacting with and working in policing in England and Wales comes to an end, Policing Insight’s Ian Weinfass spoke to Abimbola Johnson, chair of its Independent Scrutiny & Oversight Board, about its “glacial” progress and future prospects.

FEATURE: As a new UK Labour Government embarks on delivering the police and criminal justice policies and pledges contained within its manifesto, former chief superintendent Dr Stephen Brookes, now a leadership expert and Honorary Associate Professor at the University of Manchester, sets out the opportunities and benefits of a “brave, bold and balanced” approach to leadership that could establish the policing agenda for 2030 and beyond.

ANALYSIS: The State of Policing: Annual Assessment 2023, published by HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary Andy Cooke, has found that the failure of forces in England and Wales to “get the basics right” is continuing to damage trust and confidence in the service, while “unacceptably high” workloads, significant levels of inexperience among officers, and an “outdated and unfair” funding formula are adding to the policing challenges, as Policing Insight’s Keith Potter reports.

FEATURE: Those most at risk from extreme weather events are often the most vulnerable in society, but a new campaign by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction is urging emergency services including police to take preventative steps to ensure those in vulnerable groups do not fall victim to ‘natural disasters’, as Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth reports.

FEATURE: An audit of youth offending in Queensland has revealed a 65% increase in the number of serious repeat offenders since 2018, and has highlighted the importance of government stability in responding to young offending, as well as the need for a culture change in Queensland Police Service’s approach to the issue, as crucial steps in preventing further increases, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

INNOVATION: Given the complex nature of policing, the diversity communities policed, the range of partner agencies and the multiple sources of records and information, creating accurate data for modelling new systems and scenarios without using real-world cases can present a major challenge; data and geospatial intelligence specialist Ian Oldfield, who spent more than 28 years as a police officer, explains the importance and benefits of synthetic police data.

FEATURE: The latest United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime World Drug Report highlights record levels of cannabis and cocaine use – with an accompanying rise in violence – and the increased agility of traffickers who are expanding their criminal activities into areas such as wildlife trafficking, illegal resource extraction and money laundering, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

ANALYSIS: New research from the Australian Institute of Criminology has found that one in five Australians has perpetrated sexual violence; but Professor Kate Fitz-Gibbon of Monash University and Research Fellow Dr Hayley Boxall of the Australian National University warn that the real rate of offending may be even higher, and that more research focusing on perpetrators rather than reports to police is essential to uncover the true scale of the problem.

FEATURE: At the recent Counter-Terror Expo in London, Commander Dominic Murphy of the UK’s Counter-Terrorism Command set out the continuing challenges facing the countries counter-terror policing efforts, and the crucial role played by officers and staff in tackling a range of “diverse and unpredictable” threats, as Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth reports.

INNOVATION: While special constables and volunteers are a well-established part of British policing, many won’t be aware of their cyber equivalent; Policing Insight’s James Sweetland spoke to the National Police Chiefs’ Council team co-ordinating the network of Cyber Digital Specials and Volunteers across England and Wales, including an exclusive interview with a cyber volunteer active today.

FEATURE: A new UK report by the Society of Editors, the Crime Reporters Association and the Media Lawyers Association has called on the police and press to work on rebuilding their “broken” relationship for the benefit of transparency, trust and confidence, while also warning that social media posts which often dominate high-profile investigations and court cases are in danger of being “weaponised”, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

FEATURE: With the Paris Olympics and Paralympics due to get underway from next week, police and security forces across the city and the country remain on high alert to prevent any possible terror attack; Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth looks at the challenges they face, how previous attacks have shaped the current security response, and the difficult balance between security and the spirit of the Games.

ANALYSIS: Cityforum’s Transforming Police Public Contact roundtable that took place earlier this year saw representatives from policing, government, academia and industry follow up from the 2023 event to once again debate the key issues around police public contact; this article by Nick Gargan, based on his report of the roundtable, brings together the key contributions and perspectives from the event.

OPINION: Already a criminal offence in the UK and parts of Australia, coercive control in intimate relationships looks set to be crimimalized in Canada under legislation making its way through the Senate; but PhD student Eden Hoffer and Professor Nadine Wathen of Western University, Ontario, argue that – because of the nature of the criminal justice system, and gender-neutral policies – criminalizing coercive control could also criminalize more women victim-survivors of intimate partner violence.

FEATURE: A new study by the UK’s Vulnerability and Policing Futures Research Centre suggests that when it comes to what the public want from its police service, while tackling crime is important, people are more focused on how policing is conducted and its relationships with the communities it serves, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

INNOVATION: In the latest in a series of articles exploring the opportunities and challenges presented to police by the rapid growth of artificial intelligence (AI), Chief Philip Lukens explores how this new technology can be used to improve officers’ decision-making in particularly complex and stressful situations such as the use of force.

FEATURE: Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth looks at the recent successful operation by European law enforcement agencies working with colleagues in the US to take down multiple platforms used to disseminate terrorist propaganda, and explores the ongoing efforts of Europol to target those spreading terrorist content online.

OPINION: Police in the UK have little discretion to resolve cases involving hate speech with an out-of-court sanction, although an evaluation of this approach recorded reduced reoffending and successful completion rates; Penelope Gibbs, Director of campaign group Transform Justice, believes education of those committing one-off hate speech crimes could be much more effective than court fines, and could reassure victims that such behaviour wouldn’t be repeated.

INTERVIEW: In his first interview in the role, Chair of the City of London Police Authority Board Tijs Broeke spoke about his goals for the force, how a shocking homophobic attack encouraged him to get involved in policing as a special constable, and why politicians focusing on wokeness in policing are “wasting their time”, as Policing Insight’s James Sweetland reports.

ANALYSIS: With Yvette Cooper now in post as the UK’s first Labour Home Secretary in 14 years, Policing Insight’s Ian Wiggett looks at the legacy she is inheriting, the lessons that can be learnt from the last Labour government, and the challenges Ms Cooper will face in successfully delivering meaningful and positive change in policing against a backdrop of an overstretched criminal justice system.