Topical issues

ANALYSIS: Cases of sexual misconduct by police officers are still relatively rare, but such an abuse of position can have serious implications for the public’s view of policing, and the trust of the police as an institution; PhD researcher and serving police officer Fay Sweeting explores the scale of the problem, and what forces could be doing better to tackle the issue.

ANALYSIS: A second report published today by the Institute for Government examining the impact of COVID-19 on public services has highlighted a record backlog of criminal cases and a rapid expansion of the use of remote hearings; Nick Davies, the Institute’s programme director leading its work on public services, outlines the key findings.

OPINION: Not all disability or difference is obvious; for Avon and Somerset Police Inspector Lee Moore, a diagnosis of dyspraxia more than 20 years into his police service explained some of the struggles he had faced from an early age and throughout his career, but also highlighted the positives that difference can bring.

INNOVATION: Drones are already part of the policing toolkit, but the introduction of new 5G networks will significantly enhance their law enforcement use – as well as potentially posing a greater criminal threat; Policing Insight contributor Andrew Staniforth looks at the latest European project to identify and address the 5G drone challenges.

OPINION: The UN reports a 320% increase in right-wing terrorism globally in the five years prior to 2020; as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic provides a fertile breeding ground for fanaticism, Sean Spence, doctorate student in security risk management at the University of Portsmouth, explains why any current 'fifth wave' of terrorism is likely to come from the far right.

OPINION: With UK probation services due to be renationalised, Steve Ainsworth, Director of Operational Safety at Northgate Public Services, looks at the lessons to be learned from privatising probation that will help shape a service once again poised for change.

OPINION: The latest @WeCops chat tackled the complex subject of stop and search, hosted by an experienced and expert team of officers and attracting contributions from a wide and varied Twitter audience; this blog, written by Sgt Kerri Monaghan, West Mercia Police’s tactical lead for stop and search and use of force, pulls together the key points from the debate.

FEATURE: A new report by Skills for Justice underlines the significant impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the mental and physical health of police and other public sector workers; but there are some positives to be taken from the response to COVID-19.

ANALYSIS: The horrific murder of a teacher in a Paris terror attack has shone the spotlight again on radicalisation in schools and education; but as Policing Insight contributor Andrew Staniforth reports, inexcusable delays over the review of the UK’s Prevent strategy – and ongoing attempts to have the provision for review removed altogether – are failing the police and their partners engaged in tackling radicalisation.

ANALYSIS: In 2019 the UK Government announced £35 million funding for the launch of 18 new Violence Reduction Units, as part of a wider strategy that included a public health approach to tackling serious violence; Policing Insight Contributing Editor Tina Orr Munro looks at the first 12 months of VRUs, and the challenges for the future.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: ‘Triple A’. What automation, artificial intelligence, and augmentation really mean and their potential application to law enforcement. In this article, Adam Etches, Technical Director for Chorus, explains what they are and walks us through some practical applications.

ANALYSIS: The rise in ransomware attacks has seen cyber criminals increasingly targeting public sector organisations, where budgetary constraints have led to poor cyber security; Policing Insight contributor Andrew Staniforth looks at the preparations organisations can take to protect themselves, as well as efforts to prevent ransoms being paid by victims.

OPINION: The recent HM Inspectorate report into roads policing underlined the dangers of forces failing to prioritise road safety, with the number of fatalities and serious injuries on our roads starting to rise after years of decline; West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson – a former Transport Road Safety Minister – believes PCCs have a crucial role to play in reprioritising road safety.

LONG READ: UK Home Secretary Priti Patel has authorised the police use of Taser 7, which manufacturers describe as the safest, most tested use of force option, intended to ‘make the bullet obsolete’; but critics argue the more powerful double-cartridge device has increased risks of injury for targets and bystanders. Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons looks at the kit and listens to the arguments around the latest conducted energy device.

ANALYSIS: The high level of drug-related deaths in Scotland has led to unnecessary loss of life and an unenviable tally of misery; in this qualitative study, former Police Scotland Inspector David Macdonald explores the knowledge and awareness of drug harm reduction among frontline police officers in Dundee and Glasgow.

FEATURE: A new report by the C19 National Foresight Group warns that the psychological impact of a coronavirus second wave could compound already high levels of police officer mental health problems and pose a challenge to sufferers and the service for the next decade, reports Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons.

FEATURE: In our continuing series aimed at supporting the new police degree entry recruits, Policing Insight's Academic Editor Dr Carina O'Reilly looks at how research interventions can be undermined unless we take a scientific approach right from the beginning.

INTERVIEW: AUSTRALIA: New South Wales Police Force’s latest inclusion and diversity strategy includes a career-long focus on ‘belonging and connection’; Assistant Commissioner Leanne McCusker spoke to Policing Insight Contributing Editor Tina Orr Munro about the expanded approach, and the need for clear direction, measurable outcomes, and visible change.

INTERVIEW: In the fourth in a series of articles linked to this month’s Policing in the Time of Pandemic workshops organised by the London Policing College, Policing Insight talks to President of the College and former Met Police DAC Rod Jarman – and poses five key questions on the police-public relationship – ahead of his workshops on the issue later this week.

ANALYSIS: Within days of the COVID-19 lockdown being announced in the UK, crime analysts were making predictions about its impact on criminal behaviour; so were they right? Professor Graham Farrell, Dr Sam Langton and Data Scientist Anthony Dixon of the School of Law at the University of Leeds examine the crime figures and trends from the first six months of the pandemic.

OPINION: A digital categorisation tool is now in use in prisons in an effort to reduce crime on the wings and in wider society; but as a new Police Foundation discussion document highlights, the use of police intelligence data as the basis for prisoner ‘risk ratings’ raises concerns over accuracy, bias and transparency, as the Foundation’s Director, Rick Muir, explains.

UCL COVID-19 SERIES: In this latest article from the UCL COVID-19 series, Graham Farrell and Emily Sheard from the University of Leeds discuss how the new legislation on mandatory face masks could inadvertently be aiding criminal behaviour.

OPINION: In the third in a series of articles linked to this month’s Policing in the Time of Pandemic workshops organised by the London Policing College, independent cyber and security consultant Graeme McGowan explains why the move of millions of employees to remote online working in response to the coronavirus could lead to a cybercrime legacy of that lasts long after any lockdown is over.

OPINION: The cumulative trauma suffered by police and other first responders regularly exposed to serious injury, death and immediate threat can cause high levels of PTSD as well as depression, anxiety, stress, and suicidal thoughts; but as psychiatrist Professor Arash Javanbakht explains, help is out there – and first responders and their families deserve to be happy.