West Yorkshire Police - UK

OPINION: The recently published Casey Review highlighted issues of a “toxic culture” in parts of the Metropolitan Police including racist, sexist and misogynistic behaviour; but doctoral researcher Kathryn Farrow of the University of Oxford argues that while the findings and headlines have focused on the Met, other forces around the country still have much work to do on many of the same issues.

ANALYSIS: It’s long been argued that the police funding formula in England and Wales, which relies mainly on a combination of central government grant and locally set precept, is in need of reform, and fails to recognise the areas of greatest need; Policing Insight’s Ian Wiggett looks at the increasing dependence on the precept, the challenges around deprivation, and whether politicians are really willing to tackle a funding conundrum that has no comfortable fix.

FEATURE: Religious beliefs remain a key component of the motivations of terrorist groups operating around the world, meaning that places of worship and faith congregation will continue to be potential terrorist targets; Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth reports on the latest EU-funded initiative police initiative to design, develop and deliver enhanced protection to those religious sites.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: For over 30 years policing has followed a model of ‘siloed’ digital solutions, with frontline staff reliant on a variety of products from multiple vendors. Today’s connected officer can now tap into a huge range of apps and information via a single integrated interface on their mobile device. In the first in a series of articles, Ian Williams outlines the workflow efficiency benefits of Motorola Solutions’ Pronto digital policing platform.

ANALYSIS: Three years ago, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the ambitious Uplift plan to recruit an additional 20,000 police officers by April 2023, and despite significant political upheaval since, the Government remains ‘determined’ to keep to its pledge; in the last of this current series on UK police workforce structure, Policing Insight’s Ian Wiggett assesses whether that target will be met, and what comes next.

ANALYSIS: In the fourth in our latest series focusing on police workforce development in England and Wales, Policing Insight’s Ian Wiggett looks at the unique opportunity offered by the Uplift recruitment programme to increase diversity, the relatively small change that has resulted, and the more noticeable shift in workforce profile to a service that has become younger and less experienced.

ANALYSIS: In this third article in our latest series focusing on police workforce development in England and Wales – and with the Government and current Home Secretary Suella Braverman remaining committed to the Uplift target of 20,000 new police officers by April 2023 – Policing Insight’s Ian Wiggett looks at the ‘churn’ of officers joining and leaving the service, the increasing number of resignations, and the marketplace for inter-force transfers, and considers the implications of these factors for the service.

OPINION: A year on from taking up her appointment as the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) lead in tackling violence against women and girls, Deputy Chief Constable Maggie Blyth reflects on UK policing’s efforts and achievements over the past 12 months, and the plans for continued progress going forwards.

FEATURE: A recent research collaboration agreement between the UK’s National Crime Agency and Cranfield University could exploit defence research expertise to tackle policing challenges such as organised and transnational crime, and the dark net; Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth looks at this latest research partnership, as well as the key to sustaining successful collaborations such as the N8 Policing Research Partnership.

LONG READ: Forensic scientist Stuart Kind, who was brought in by the UK Home Office to help track down the Yorkshire Ripper, is widely recognised as a pioneer of geographic profiling; former Met Police detective Geoff Monaghan and geospatial intelligence specialist Ian Oldfield explore whether the genesis of the geographic profiling concept can be traced back further to a piece of 1920s detective fiction, and the story of a string of animal maimings in Surrey.

ANALYSIS: Covid fixed penalty notices were issued to BAME individuals in England and Wales at up to twice the rate as white individuals; now a new report has found that officer ‘discomfort and uncertainty’ of the regulations led to a focus on ‘blatant’ breaches, with fines more dependent on the circumstance of the breach and the how officers perceived an individual’s attitude and responses to them, than on the potential risk of harm, as Policing Insight’s Keith Potter reports.

FEATURE: Following a pioneering trial in 2013, nine UK police forces currently operate the Project CARA (Cautioning and Relationship Abuse) intervention scheme; now a new evaluation of the project highlighting 80% reductions in reoffending and more than a million pounds in economic benefits has prompted calls for a national rollout, as Policing Insight’s Keith Potter reports.

ANALYSIS: With policing resources under continuing pressure, the 2022/23 financial year is now underway, prompting renewed focus on how police forces are funded across the UK; in this second of two articles, Policing Insight’s Ian Wiggett focuses on the income raised locally by the forces of England and Wales through the policing precept.

ANALYSIS: With policing resources under continuing pressure, the 2022/23 financial year is now underway, prompting renewed focus on how police forces are funded across the UK. In this first of two articles focusing on police funding, Policing Insight’s Ian Wiggett reviews the core funding streams from the respective central and devolved governments, and explores why some forces and communities feel unfairly treated.

OPINION: The UK has a lengthy tradition of problem-oriented policing (POP), but the enthusiasm for this long-term preventative approach has waxed and waned, and with it the impact of POP overall; however Professor Nick Tilley, a keen advocate, believes that a renewed commitment to the problem-solving mentality can reap benefits in enabling forces to meet many of the modern policing challenges.

ANALYSIS: The UK Government’s ‘Uplift’ initiative to recruit an additional 20,000 police officers in England and Wales is well underway, but the challenge of balancing new recruits with those leaving posts means not all forces are expanding at the same rate; in the latest in a series of articles on the police workforce, Policing Insight’s Ian Wiggett looks at the key issues of service leavers and joiners, the pandemic effect and the need for more accurate data.

OPINION: Until now, UK police IT systems have received much less attention from the public and the media than new technologies such as facial recognition and predictive policing, but recent problems have brought increased attention; Dr Katerina Hadjimatheou, Lecturer in Criminology and Ethics at the University of Essex, believes it’s time the spotlight was shone on the three big private technology companies behind these reportedly failing systems.

ANALYSIS: A number of forces across the UK have introduced embedded mental health professionals to improve and support the police response to those in crisis, and perceptions of such initiatives have been positive; now a new study by the N8 Policing Research Partnership has formally evaluated the West Yorkshire Police project, with impressive results, as Policing Insight Editor Keith Potter reports.

New report: With growing volumes of increasingly complex demand, police contact management was already facing significant challenges before the arrival of COVID-19; but a new report by CoPaCC highlights how forces have responded to more varied public channel choice, adopted and developed new technology, and adapted working practices and reporting structures to meet the challenges of both the increasing demand and the pandemic.

UK PCC ELECTIONS 2021: As the dust slowly settles on the 2021 police and crime commissioner (PCC) elections, and those in post start to implement their manifestos, Professor Peter Joyce (Wrexham Glyndŵr University) and Dr Wendy Laverick (University of Hull) take a closer look at the election process – who fought on what issues, how the parties fared, the profiles of those now in office, and what the challenges will be for PCCs going forwards.

UK PCC ELECTIONS 2021: With just over two weeks until the police and crime commissioner elections in England and Wales, Policing Insight’s in-depth coverage is underway; Policing Insight’s Publisher Bernard Rix takes a look at the likely open contests, safe seats, and those too close to call.

UK PCC ELECTIONS 2021: With less than two months to go to the police and crime commissioner elections for the English and Welsh forces, Policing Insight is launching its in-depth coverage. We’ll be constantly updating our tracker so you’ll be able to check out the candidates as they declare their intention to stand. Policing Insight’s Publisher Bernard Rix takes a look at the field so far.

UK PCC ELECTIONS 2021: With less than two months to go to the police and crime commissioner elections for the English and Welsh forces, Policing Insight is launching its in-depth coverage. We’ll be constantly updating our tracker so you’ll be able to check out the candidates as they declare their intention to stand. Policing Insight’s Publisher Bernard Rix takes a look at the field so far.

Announcement: A record number of offices of police and crime commissioners (OPCCs) have received the CoPaCC Open and Transparent Quality Mark for 2021, demonstrating impressive improvements in information transparency delivered via OPCC websites; Bernard Rix, CoPaCC Chief Executive and Publisher of Policing Insight, provides details of the OPCCs recognised for meeting the statutory requirements on openness and transparency.