Contact management/command and control

OPINION: The announcement by the Metropolitan Police that it plans to withdraw from attending mental health incidents unless they involve a threat to life has reignited the debate around policing’s role in responding to those in mental health crisis; Dr David Lydon, a former officer and now Senior Lecturer in Professional Policing, believes dropping what is a critical aspect of everyday policing is a mistake, and a betrayal of the service’s social responsibility.

LONG READ: In February, leading police officers were joined by law enforcement stakeholders, suppliers and academics for a one-day round table on transforming police public contact, organised by policy advice and strategic development organisation Cityforum; in this report – based on contributions made at the round table – independent policing consultant Nick Gargan, who chaired one of the event sessions, explores the key issues including addressing public expectations, the increasing shift to digital channels, and the options for improving service delivery.

LONG READ: Humberside Police’s Right Care, Right Person (RCRP) initiative has transformed how the force handles mental health incidents, freeing up officers to focus on fighting crime – and with RCRP set to roll out nationwide, policing’s approach to these incidents is about to change significantly; but there’s a more complex story to tell about policing’s role in mental health work, as Policing Insight’s James Sweetland reports.

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FEATURE: Hot-spot policing is widely regarded as a high-profile success of evidence-based policing; but recent trials in London suggest that cities which are already strongly policed see little impact on crime figures from adopting a hot-spot approach, as Policing Insight Contributing Editor Sarah Gibbons reports.

FEATURE: A new review by the Independent Advisory Panel on Deaths in Custody has called for closer partnerships between policing, health and other criminal justice agencies to address mental health issues and help to prevent deaths in custody as well as suicides after release from police custody, as Policing Insight Contributing Editor Sarah Gibbons reports.

FEATURE: Steve Franklin, Executive Director at managed IT services and audio-visual specialist Cinos, explores the key considerations for designing, developing and maintaining police control rooms, and the role technology plays to allow vital monitoring systems to continue supporting policing around the clock, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

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ANALYSIS: One of the outcomes of the pandemic has been a quiet revolution in the way people seek to report crime; a survey by technical consulting firm BMT found that the public are increasingly willing to use digital contact channels to communicate with police, but need more information about the right routes to use, and reassurances over the response they will receive, as Justice and Security Business Unit Lead Christian Ellis explains.

INTERVIEW: As police forces around the world struggle to meet the growing demand of emergency calls related to people’s mental health problems, Austin Police Department in Texas has introduced a clinician-based ‘mental health crisis’ option for 911 callers which has improved the service to the public, cut use of force and arrest rates, and enabled officers to prioritise the response to crime, as Policing Insight’s Christine Townsend reports.

OPINION: The inquiry into the Manchester Arena bombing has highlighted a number of failures in UK emergency services interoperability in responding to the terrorist attack; Psychology Lecturer Dr Nicola Power of the University of Lancaster believes research around the psychology of group decision making can explain some of those failures, and could help to avoid repeat problems in the future.

FEATURE: Leading police researcher Professor Tom Kirchmaier recently urged police chiefs to “rethink” their stance on double crewing to protect officers and provide a better public service, while improving response times to have a “significant” impact on detection and clearance rates, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

INNOVATION: With forces in England and Wales facing surging demand from domestic abuse victims, Kent Police embarked on a randomised control trial of a new rapid video response (RVR) to victims; Stacey Rothwell, Network Director for England’s Eastern Region of seven forces, explains the methodology behind the trial, and the key findings – including greater victim satisfaction, faster police response times and a 50% increase in arrests – which have led Kent to a force-wide introduction of RVR.

ANALYSIS: Calls to address the crisis of public confidence in British policing have become increasingly insistent, with many recognising that technology has a vital role to play in facilitating change; Andy Higgins, Research Director of the Police Foundation, outlines the organisation’s new project to examine how technology can build confidence and improve police-public interactions in the digital age.

OPINION: In what are widely recognised as difficult times for policing, new technology could help to transform service delivery and performance, but is still often regarded as a problem rather than an opportunity; Martin Taylor of cloud communications specialists Content Guru believes the successful implementation of that technology – particularly in relation to omnichannel public contact – could achieve real transformative benefits for both police and the public.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: The 2021/22 PEEL assessments of police forces in England & Wales by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) have highlighted some exceptional performances but also areas to improve in contact management and providing a service to the victims of crime. Steve Norris explains how the Salesforce solution can equip forces with appropriate technology to improve communication with victims of crime and meet their needs.

FEATURE: The latest HM Inspectorate review of call handling at Police Scotland – a function that’s been the subject of five reports since the tragic deaths of two members of the public in 2015 – has highlighted impressive progress in the service’s contact model, but has called for better links with other public sector agencies to ease the response burden on policing, as Policing Insight’s Contributing Editor Sarah Gibbons reports.

OPINION: As successful private sector organisations look to develop customer service models built on a rapid and efficient response, UK policing is finding itself struggling with delays in service, lengthy backlogs, and in some cases no response at all; Devon and Cornwall Acting Superintendent Stephen Lenney argues that by changing to a ‘today’s policing today’ approach, forces could improve service, reduce costs and waste, and increase public confidence.

FEATURE: With an increasing array of contact channels and growing complexity of calls, emergency service control rooms are facing a “data tsunami”; the solution, says David Jackson, Director of Business Engagement at the Police Digital Service, is the increased use of technology to identify relevant and useful data, and to monitor the impact of potentially traumatic contact on call handlers, as Policing Insight Contributing Editor Tina Orr-Munro reports.

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INNOVATION: With UK police forces looking increasingly to digital channels to expand and enhance public contact and service delivery, Suffolk Assistant Chief Constable Rob Jones shares an innovative project offering a live chat service for victims of domestic abuse that has improved accessibility and consistency, strengthened support and generated the potential for richer evidence to support prosecutions.

OPINION: As the sequel to one of the world’s greatest action movies hits the big screen, Acting Superintendent Stephen Lenney of Devon and Cornwall Police considers what law enforcement can learn from the Top Gun franchise, and why focusing on noise, rather than the object causing it, can create problems for both plane spotting and policing.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: This FREE webinar, taking place on 14th July, will show you how to flourish under the pressure of being a social media professional managing the challenges and pressure - especially with the growing importance of social media in the public's interaction with the police.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: Salesforce is pleased to be a principal supporter of the Police Digital Summit 2022. Please come and say hello to us on stand 1 where we will be pleased to walk you through our end-to-end capabilities to help Police Forces with their transformation plans.