INNOVATION: Cybercrime is a challenge for all businesses, but it’s an especially complex one for smaller companies to take on; in an exclusive interview with Policing Insight’s James Sweetland, Ian Hickling and Jonathan Green explain how free Home Office-funded tool Police CyberAlarm might form part of the answer – and help police to develop the “actionable intelligence” needed to deal with online threats.

FEATURE: Recent surveys of NHS staff have highlighted increased levels of violence and abuse towards those working in healthcare, prompting concerns over staff wellbeing as well as recruitment and retention issues; former Ottawa Police Service Chief Vernon White looks at the scale of the problem, it’s wider impact for emergency services, and what steps organisations should take to address the issue.

INTERVIEW: In the second half of an exclusive two-part interview with Policing Insight’s James Sweetland, Temporary Assistant Commissioner Nik Adams – the City of London Police lead for fraud and cybercrime – explored the policing response to offences which now constitute nearly 50% of all crime in England and Wales, including the launch of the Government’s National Fraud Strategy and a £150million overhaul of Action Fraud.

INTERVIEW: Following the recent publication of the National Police Chiefs’ Council Covenant for Using Artificial Intelligence in Policing, Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons spoke to Dylan Alldridge, Head of Innovation at the Office of the Policing Chief Scientific Adviser, about the importance of the Covenant, and how AI is likely to be transformative for law enforcement in the future.

FEATURE: Following a string of scandals and tough inspection reports, there have been near-constant demands for policing in England and Wales to reform; at the recent Canterbury Centre for Policing Research annual conference, three academics presented their blueprints for making change a reality – from new powers to intervene in failing forces, to adopting UN standards, and creating a new ‘police reserve’ – as Policing Insight’s James Sweetland reports.

INTERVIEW: After 41 years in policing – the past four as Commissioner of the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force – Trevor Botting retired recently, although admits he may have not hung up his uniform altogether; he spoke to Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons about the challenges leading an island force in the West Indies, the need to nurture local recruits, and why the force’s firearms officers are among the bravest he has worked with.

FEATURE: Initial findings from the HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue investigation into activism and impartiality, revealed in an interim update from HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary Andy Cooke, highlight striking concerns about politicisation, with most senior officers saying they’ve experienced “improper pressure or interference from significant political figures”, as Policing Insight’s James Sweetland reports.

FEATURE: Polygraphs – or lie detector tests – are considered by some to be the preserve of fictional cop shows; but at the recent Canterbury Centre for Policing Research’s annual conference, two Northumbria University academics explained how these scientifically unsound tools are becoming more commonplace in British policing, seemingly with little debate or openness about their use, as Policing Insight’s James Sweetland reports.

OPINION: Retail staff have increasingly been subjected to violence and abuse, partly as a result of the growth in shoplifting, prompting calls from the industry and unions for a new offence of assaulting a shop worker; but Penelope Gibbs, Director of campaign group Transform Justice, warns that the a move would do nothing to reduce the number of attacks, suggesting that a better police response to such assaults and perpetrators dealt with out of court where possible would be much more effective.

FEATURE: Delivering the keynote address at the Canterbury Centre for Policing Research’s annual conference, Kent Chief Constable Tim Smith identified the problems facing policing at a national and local level – including concerns about politicisation, funding challenges, and a highly inexperienced workforce post-Uplift, as Policing Insight’s James Sweetland reports.

FEATURE: The latest survey of police wellbeing in England and Wales, coupled with a report comparing research from other staff associations, inspectorates and other bodies, has highlighted significant increases in stress and anxiety and a decline in feeling valued among officers which could also impact on service delivery; but forces that have acknowledged and prioritised wellbeing issues have seen a much more positive trajectory for officers and staff, reports Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons.

OPINION: The popularity of various illicit drugs changes regularly, with substance preference of users often dictated by the choices of manufacturers, logistical challenges and geopolitical events; Associate Professor Ian Hamilton of the University of York, and Professor Harry Sumnall of Liverpool John Moores University, highlight four street drugs that could pose a significant UK health threat in 2024.

FEATURE: The police disciplinary processes in New Zealand and the UK have been overhauled in recent months; but despite the reforms, staff associations representing frontline officers in both countries are still voicing strong concerns over the lengthy delays involved in misconduct investigations which – in the worst cases – can leave officers waiting years for allegations to be resolved, significantly impacting both their own health and public confidence, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

INTERVIEW: In an exclusive interview with Policing Insight, Policing Minister Chris Philp told James Sweetland why he believes that dramatically increasing the use of facial recognition can transform policing and help forces across England and Wales catch wanted criminals.

FEATURE: A new joint report by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services, HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate, and HM Inspectorate of Probation into victims’ services has found that despite agencies recognising the need to improve services for victims, poor communications and a focus on meeting the Victims’ Code meant that the findings highlighted ‘depressingly familiar’ shortcomings, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

OPINION: Policing is understandably keen to embrace the latest technology in its efforts to protect the public and fight crime; but Dr David Lydon, a former police officer and now Senior Lecturer in Policing at Canterbury Christ Church University, believes that the move towards technocracy inevitably threatens the service’s ability to operate a consensual model in line with the principles and features of traditional community policing.

FEATURE: As we welcome in 2024, Policing Insight Editor Keith Potter looks back over what the past 12 months have meant for policing in the UK and internationally, how those issues have been covered by Policing Insight, and the continuing challenges and opportunities for the year ahead.

FEATURE: The latest report by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services into the police response to group-based child sexual exploitation in England and Wales has found that inconsistent definitions are fuelling a lack of understanding of the scale of the issue, with some officers still engaging in victim-blaming language, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

OPINION: With increasingly polarised politics, the growth of the post-truth era, and a general fall in confidence in major institutions, the UK’s model of policing by consent is being tested like never before; but Police Foundation Director Rick Muir believes that the fundamental principles of the model remain sound, and that the priority for overcoming the current challenges must be improved communication.

CHRISTMAS MESSAGE: There seems to have been little festive cheer in the build-up to Christmas this year, with international events and home-grown politicians leaving police a target for headlines and commentators, and little recognition of the everyday efforts to prevent crime and keep the public safe; against that sort of backdrop, it’s even more crucial that officers and staff get the opportunity to celebrate, relax and recharge over the Christmas period, says Policing Insight Editor Keith Potter.

ANALYSIS: Policing Insight’s Ian Weinfass reveals how many candidates have applied for each of the top jobs in policing in England and Wales over the past three years, and finds out what the likes of HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary Andy Cooke, Association of Police and Crime Commissioners Chair Donna Jones and others believe this shows about the state of the process.

LONG READ: The role of police officers in schools is an often-controversial topic, with some viewing their presence as essential to help divert young people from a criminal future or protect them from being victims of crime, while others argue that police involvement risks criminalising young people – especially those from ethnic minority backgrounds; Policing Insight’s James Sweetland explores all sides of this contentious debate.

FEATURE: The first five-year strategy to tackle fraud, economic and cyber crime was recently published by the City of London Police – the lead force on the issue for England and Wales – in an effort to redress a decade of ‘deprioritising’ fraud compared to other crimes; the strategy looks to improve the service to victims, prevent the continuing escalation of fraud, and secure more successful justice outcomes, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

OPINION: The decision to implement a third, non-degree entry route into UK policing may already have been made, but University of Central Lancashire Policing Lecturer David Marshall believes the move to bypass the current degree entry routes will negatively impact on efforts to professionalise policing, create a two-tier service, and do little to address falling levels of trusts and confidence in the police.