Victims and witnesses

ANALYSIS: Persistent poverty and profound trauma are increasingly being recognised and addressed by police and crime commissioners in their attempts to divert young adults away from the criminal justice system, according to a new review by the Revolving Doors Agency; but alongside the emerging good practice, there are still gaps in support and areas for improvement.

UCL COVID-19 SERIES: Mohammed Almazrouei from the UCL Jill Dando Institute, Nicola Georgiou from the UCL Centre for Forensic Sciences and Moa Lidén from the Abu Dhabi Police Forensic Evidence Laboratory collaborate to consider how the role of the forensic pathologist has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

ANALYSIS: With an apparent increasing disconnect between the American public and the police who serve them, is there any hope for a recovery in police legitimacy? Colin Rogers, Professor of Policing and Security at the University of South Wales discusses the requirements for police legitimacy and examines the experience in New Zealand.

ANALYSIS: In the wake of the recent sentencing of a far-right terrorist in New Zealand for the horrific Christchurch mosque attacks, Andrew Staniforth looks at efforts in the UK to ensure that places of worship, and those who use them, are protected from hate crimes and the threat of terrorism.

EVENT ADVERTISEMENT: These free online webinars are being held over five days and will offer an insight into children and families harmed by crime. Key speakers, experts in their field, will be exploring the keys issues across sexual violence, domestic abuse, cyber and knife crime and look at how the issues are being tackled.

UCL COVID-19 SERIES: Dr Kartikeya Tripathi and Professor Claudia Cooper from the UCL Jill Dando Institute examine how the risk of becoming a victim of cybercrime has increased for older people during lockdown and how this threat can be tackled.

UCL COVID-19 SERIES: In this article taken from a series by the UCL Jill Dando Institute focusing on crime during the COVID-19 pandemic, Professor Gloria Laycock OBE analyses the crime statistics on distraction burglaries and discusses how this type of crime is set to increase during lockdown.

ANALYSIS: The fatal shooting of a New Zealand police officer and wounding of his colleague has reignited the debate on arming the police. Dr. Ross Hendy, Lecturer in Criminology in the School of Social Sciences at Monash University, discusses the impact and attitudes towards routinely arming the police.

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.

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.

Opinion: The lockdown has led forces to re-evaluate how they use technology to support their operations with some innovative results. Director at technology consultancy Tisski Ben Austen explores how having an integrated technology platform at the heart of policing will enable forces to continue to innovate.

INTERVIEW: Kenya has a long history of policing with excessive force, often resulting in unnecessary deaths. Recently, at least six people died from police violence during the first 10 days of a dusk-to-dawn curfew. Moina Spooner, from The Conversation Africa, asked Douglas Kivoi, an expert on police reform and policy, to shed light on the situation.

Analysis: Already a serious problem for society, domestic abuse in all its forms has been exacerbated by the lockdown. Policing commentator Mark Brown says now is the time to implement a nationwide strategy similar CONTEST, the Government's counter-terror strategy, to tackle this 'epidemic within the pandemic'.

Analysis: The police service has shifted direction in the last twelve months with the announcement of an extra 20,000 officers and the creation of a new National Policing Board. Deloitte's Frances Lysak explores the findings of their latest report on what this might mean for Police and Crime Commissioners.

Analysis: Policing Insight contributor Andrew Staniforth examines how Police Scotland is tackling online child sexual exploitation during the Covid-19 lockdown alongside the wider challenges of combating the tens of thousands of websites hosting child abuse images.

Analysis: USA: Covid-19 has presented law enforcement with huge challenges, but Dr. Joseph A. Cortez, Associate Professor at the University of Southern California and Lieutenant at the Santa Monica Police Department, argues it is also an unprecedented opportunity to switch off 'auto-pilot' and use the lessons learnt to help re-shape the future of policing.

Opinion: With some daily headlines in Britain focused on the use of police powers in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, Professor Ian Loader from the University of Oxford considers the role of the police and how effective the current police response has been.

Interview: Last month, amid concerns, the Government announced 4,000 low-risk prisoners would be released to tackle the spread of Covid-19. Policing Insight contributor Sarah Gibbons asks West Midlands Assistant Police and Crime Commissioner Waheed Saleem, who is leading a multi-agency, regional response, how will the scheme will work.

OPINION: Former Chief Superintendent and author of the bestselling Blue: A Memoir - Keeping the Peace and Falling to Pieces John Sutherland considers the role police officers are playing in the face of the current pandemic and how all too often stories of their bravery and courage are overshadowed by tales of heavy-handed policing tactics.

INTERVIEW: The lockdown has led to a steep rise in calls to domestic abuse helplines in the UK. While they offer vital support, alternative accommodation is essential to enabling people to escape their situation, but Co-APCC Victims lead on domestic abuse Julia Mulligan says refuges are all but full and more accommodation is urgently needed.

Opinion: Figures show 64 per cent of short-term prisoners in the UK re-offend. Director of Operational Safety at Northgate Public Services Steve Ainsworth examines how better information sharing between the police and the probation service has the power to reduce re-offending rates and make communities safer.

Analysis: With UK police forces struggling to recruit and retain cyber-skilled staff, Policing Insight contributor Andrew Staniforth considers what this means for the war against cyber crime and why so many digitally skilled staff are opting for a career in the private sector.

SPOTLIGHT ON THE WINNERS: Operation Limelight, a huge multi-agency operation led by the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) to prevent girls and young women from becoming victims of female genital mutilation (FGM) and forced marriage, was awarded Highly Commended in the World Class Policing Awards, sponsored by Accenture. In the eighth of twelve articles focused on the award-winning nominations, Keith Potter examines the initiative which led to the signing of a historic intelligence-sharing Proclamation of Interagency Support for investigations between UK and US Law Enforcement.

Analysis: Until recently, cyber digital skills vital for police investigations were not formally recognised. The Institute of Cyber Digital Investigation Professionals (ICDIP) aims to change that. Senior Project Advisor Detective Inspector Alan Martin and Cyber Digital Career Pathways Project Team Leader Fiona Paterson explain the importance of the ICDIP in recognising the specialist knowledge, skills and professional status of those involved in cyber and digital investigations.