Topical issues

OPINION: As the prospects of a negotiated Brexit agreement diminish, Dr Paul Swallow, Senior Lecturer at Canterbury Christ Church University's School of Law, Criminal Justice and Policing, outlines why he believes a no-deal Brexit will inevitably weaken the UK’s position on international security.

ANALYSIS: The COVID-19 pandemic created new challenges for all sectors of policing. David Page, a former police officer who specialised in intelligence and counter-terrorism (CT), and who is now a university lecturer and consultant, explores the impact of the pandemic on CT.

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 2021.

UCL COVID-19 SERIES: Dr Rick Brown and Amelia Hickman from the Australian Institute of Criminology consider how online gambling can be a precursor to offending behaviours such as fraud and domestic violence and how this risk has increased during lockdown.

Analysis: The latest in our Report Watch series summarises Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Constabulary Sir Thomas Winsor's overview of the state of policing in England and Wales in 2019/20 including the policing response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

ANALYSIS: Recent events in the United States have led to calls for more training and credentialing to reduce the use of excessive force by police. Dr. Leana Bouffard of Iowa State University and Dr. Gaylene Armstrong of the University of Nebraska provide five reasons why police officers should be encouraged to pursue a college degree so they are better equipped to lead much-needed reform.

Opinion: Paul Griffiths, President of the Police Superintendents' Association, says the police service's recruitment drive in England and Wales is a 'generational opportunity' to improve diversity, but only if we do things differently.

UCL COVID-19 SERIES: Dr Ben Stickle, Associate Professor of Criminal Justice Administration at Middle Tennessee State University, explores the trend of 'porch piracy' in the US during the Covid-19 pandemic and how agencies have responded to this.

OPINION: The Emergency Services Network (ESN), the replacement for the UK police radio communications system, has been beset by delays and rising costs. Evan Morris MBE, vice chair of the National Association of Police, Fire and Crime Panels (NAPFCP) and chair of Cheshire Police and Crime Panel, calls on crime panels to challenge their Police and Crime Commissioners over the impact this has had on budgets.

OPINION: The current pandemic has forced many industries to address questions of flexible working as a matter of some urgency. But for many in policing, flexible working is hampered by complex business needs as well as structural and cultural issues. Here, Sgt Caroline Hay and Dr Emma Williams present a @wecops Twitter debate on the issues.

Innovation: Many training and education organisations are moving more of their learning online, partly in response to the COVID-19 crisis – and often with mixed results. With more than 50 years' experience of distance learning, The Open University know the structure and support needed to successfully deliver online learning, as Dr Paul Walley, Director of Learning within the University's Centre for Policing Research and Learning, explains.

INNOVATION: Big data can provide powerful insights into policing and improve performance, but getting it wrong leads to unreliable conclusions and poor policies. In the first of two articles, Professor Tom Kirchmaier, Director of Policing and Crime at the London School of Economics, outlines his team's work with British policing and some of the important principles of using big data.

Opinion: 'Section 60' stop and search powers continue to cause controversy, but Montell Neufville, a police ethics adviser, trainer and chair of a police community scrutiny panel, says that if officers of all ranks adhered to the Police Code of Ethics, many of the issues surrounding stop and search could be avoided.

UCL COVID-19 SERIES: Somaya Alwejdani and Professor Richard Wortley from the Jill Dando Institute UCL explore how the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the risk of harm posed to children through online sexual abuse.

OPINION: The 'de-fund the police' movement has been gaining traction in the United States, and similar debates are happening this side of the Atlantic. But far from being a threat to law enforcement, Owen West believes de-funding policing in favour of resourcing other support agencies is a real opportunity for constructive change.

Job advertisement: Police Lecturer vacancies at Babcock International for their new flagship contract partnering with several Higher Education Institutes across London to deliver the new Metropolitan Police Service Policing Education Qualifications Framework (PEQF) framework.

FEATURE: In our continuing series aimed at supporting the new police degree entry recruits, Policing Insight's Academic Editor Dr Carina O'Reilly outlines a third case study of evidence-based policing in practice – this time looking at what we know about arrest and dealing with offenders, and how that knowledge can be put into practice.

Analysis: With officers in 'policing tribes' likely to come into regular confrontational contact with other tribal groups, Martin Tangen argues that a return to fundamental Peelian roots is the best way to prevent policing prejudice and bias.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: Policing Insight readers are invited to watch the recording of our recent webinar, hosted jointly with Drivetech, in which a panel of leading figures from the world of roads policing considered the potential impact of changes set to be made in 2024, which will require the installation of mandatory safety equipment in all new vehicles. Drivetech’s Managing Director, Charlie Norman, gives his reflections on the event.

ANALYSIS: New Zealand's efforts to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic have been widely praised and admired. Mark Evans, a Deputy Chief Executive of New Zealand Police and a recent addition to Policing Insight's International Advisory Board, explores the role that the police service played in helping to enable that successful all-of-government response.

UCL COVID-19 SERIES: Professor Betsy Stanko OBE and Dr Jyoti Belur from the Jill Dando Institute UCL and Dr Katrin Hohl from City University of London examine the impact of the pandemic lockdown on domestic abuse and offer insights on the way forward.

Analysis: In the past twenty years, policing in Northern Ireland has transformed itself to become more representative of the communities it serves. Adjunct Professor at City University of New York Dr. Laura Weinstein and Assistant Professor at Emory University Dr. Donald Beaudette examine policing in Northern Ireland and the potential lessons for US police forces.

Insight: Once the legal process relating to cases of sexual abuse or violence is completed, it's often the families of victims who are left to pick up the pieces, acting as carers for their loved ones, in some cases for many years. Restitute founder Cath Pickles shares the experiences of her own family following her daughter's disclosure of sexual abuse, and highlights the need for more effective early interventions and better support for all families supporting victims.

INSIGHT: A review of bullying in New Zealand Police, prompted by a number of allegations last year, has praised senior officers for their 'exemplary' efforts in transforming the operating model to one of prevention and a 'people-focused culture', while also setting out the steps needed to complete the 'last steep climb in a long journey of cultural change'.