Criminal justice

ANALYSIS: Animal cruelty is recognised in the US as both a potential predictor of intimate partner violence, and as a way to perpetrate that violence; research by Professor Lynn Addington of the American University found that intimate partner violence incidents involving animal cruelty are more likely to end with an arrest, reiterating the importance of expanding intimate partner violence protection laws to include pets, and the need for strong partnerships between police and humane law enforcement departments.

INNOVATION: New 360-degree camera technology is enabling jurors, lawyers and investigators to get a better, more immersive understanding of crime scenes, while also providing video tours with audio commentary to explain key locations of interest, as DC Simon Chamberlain explained to Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons.

FEATURE: A new report from the Youth Endowment Fund has highlighted worrying levels of knife crime and violence involving children, despite overall falls in other areas of crime; the organisation is now calling on the Government and others in the criminal justice system to prioritise support and diversionary approaches for arrested children, which are proven to have more effective outcomes than going to court, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

FEATURE: A recent conference focusing on sexual offending, vulnerability and policing saw calls for senior police and academics to take a “pracademic” approach to child sexual exploitation, described as a “public health crisis” for the current generation of children and young people, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

FEATURE: The widespread UK public disorder fuelled by online hate and misinformation in the wake of the murder of three young girls led to the jailing of a number of people for stirring up racial hatred in online messages; Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth looks at the HATEDEMICS initiative which uses artificial intelligence to hamper the spread of hate speech, disinformation and conspiracy theories.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: The Inspire Justice Awards is the UK’s only awards programme that celebrates the achievements of the entire justice sector workforce. Hosting the awards on 12 September is journalist and TV presenter Clive Myrie. Ahead of the big day we spoke to Clive about his life and career and why it is important to recognise the hidden heroes of the justice system.

INTERVIEW: Following the publication of the recent UK violence against women and girls (VAWG) National Policing Statement, ACC Sam Millar, Strategic Programme Director of the VAWG Taskforce, spoke to Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons about re-shaping the service to victims, the need for greater collaboration and a whole system approach, and the importance of supporting front-line staff investigating often high-harm offences.  

OPINION: Amid concerns that the recent riots in the UK were fuelled by misinformation spread on social media, some have questioned whether the Online Safety Act passed last year needs to be revisited; however, Associate Professor Dr Olivia Brown and Postdoctoral Researcher Dr Alicia Cork of the University of Bath argue that with parts of the Act not due to come into effect until late 2024, the effectiveness of the legislation won’t be fully understood until it has been tested in another situation like the recent riots.

INNOVATION: Advances in the application of artificial intelligence and other new technology have huge potential for transforming the criminal justice system in areas such as video redaction, risk assessment and forensic biotechnology; Simon Randall, CEO of privacy and security specialists Pimloc, explores some of those opportunities to increase effectiveness, as well as the challenges the new tech presents.

FEATURE: Crimes in the metaverse may be taking place in a virtual reality, but their impact can be felt in the real world; Griffith University Lecturer Dr Ausma Bernot, Lecturer Dr Kai Lin of the University of Technology Sydney, Charles Sturt University Lecturer Dr Milind Tiwari, and Assistant Lecturer You Zhou of Monash University, explore what ‘metacrimes’ are, and what steps can be taken to tackle them.

INNOVATION: As advances in technology bring huge potential into forensic investigation, Shashi Angadi, Chief Technology Officer of data software specialists Exterro, explores the fascinating world of forensic science and how advanced software and tools are making crime-solving faster, more accurate, and much more collaborative.

OPINION: The New Zealand Government is continuing its crackdown on gangs, with a new specialist National Gang Unit and a ban on wearing gang patches in public among measures set out in planned legislation; but Auckland University of Technology Associate Professor Antje Deckert, and University of Melbourne Professor Juan Tauri, argue the proposals ignore research evidence that such policies are likely to backfire.

ADVERTISEMENT PROMOTION: Ahead of this year’s Inspire Justice Awards ceremony supported by Policing Insight and Policing TV, Skills for Justice spoke to Andy Cooke QPM DL, Chief Inspector at HMICFRS, one of a number of senior figures who will be taking to the stage to present Inspire Justice Awards finalists with their coveted trophies. Andy reflects on the past few years at the inspectorate and shares his take on what makes those working behind the scenes in the justice sector so special.

ANAYLSIS: A review of stalking in London, carried out by the city’s Victims’ Commissioner, Claire Waxman, describes the response to victims as “woefully inadequate” and calls for legislative reform, increased awareness and training, and updated protocols from police chiefs and prosecutors to improve criminal justice outcomes and support for victims across England and Wales, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

FEATURE: The Protect Duty under the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) draft bill, known as Martyn’s Law, was drawn up in response to the death of Martyn Hett and 21 other innocent victims of the Manchester Arena terrorist attacks, and was one of the key topics discussed at the recent Counter-Terror Expo in London, as Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth reports.

INNOVATION: In the latest in a series of articles exploring the opportunities and challenges presented to police by the rapid growth of artificial intelligence (AI), Chief Philip Lukens explains why he believes that police departments should avoid labelling AI transcription of body cam footage as report writing.

INNOVATION: New technology using artificial intelligence to extract data from mobile phones is being used by Northamptonshire Police to enable officers to be “digitally advanced”, improve investigations, and save hundreds of officer hours in court, as Sgt Jason Cullum, the force’s Head of Innovation, explained to Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons.

OPINION: After three years as the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for Child Protection Abuse and Investigation, earlier this month former Merseyside Deputy Chief Constable Ian Critchley took up a new role at the College of Policing; in this article he looks back over his time in post, highlights the continuing efforts of police and partners to protect children from abuse, and calls on governments to take action to tackle what has become a ‘public health crisis’.

FEATURE: At the recent Counter-Terror Expo in London, Commander Dominic Murphy of the UK’s Counter-Terrorism Command set out the continuing challenges facing the countries counter-terror policing efforts, and the crucial role played by officers and staff in tackling a range of “diverse and unpredictable” threats, as Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth reports.

OPINION: Already a criminal offence in the UK and parts of Australia, coercive control in intimate relationships looks set to be crimimalized in Canada under legislation making its way through the Senate; but PhD student Eden Hoffer and Professor Nadine Wathen of Western University, Ontario, argue that – because of the nature of the criminal justice system, and gender-neutral policies – criminalizing coercive control could also criminalize more women victim-survivors of intimate partner violence.

OPINION: Police in the UK have little discretion to resolve cases involving hate speech with an out-of-court sanction, although an evaluation of this approach recorded reduced reoffending and successful completion rates; Penelope Gibbs, Director of campaign group Transform Justice, believes education of those committing one-off hate speech crimes could be much more effective than court fines, and could reassure victims that such behaviour wouldn’t be repeated.

FEATURE: In the last in this current series of The Police Student focusing on Criminology in Policing, Policing Insight Academic Editor Dr Carina O’Reilly looks at how victims experience the criminal justice system, the myths around ‘deserving’ and ‘underserving’ victims, and how restorative justice can give victims a greater voice in the justice process.

ANALYSIS: With Yvette Cooper now in post as the UK’s first Labour Home Secretary in 14 years, Policing Insight’s Ian Wiggett looks at the legacy she is inheriting, the lessons that can be learnt from the last Labour government, and the challenges Ms Cooper will face in successfully delivering meaningful and positive change in policing against a backdrop of an overstretched criminal justice system.

OPINION: Ahead of this week’s conference on learning from and embedding victim and survivor experiences in response to child sexual abuse (CSA), Dr Sarah Colley, Postdoctoral Researcher at event organisers the International Policing and Public Protection Research Institute, underlines the importance of listening to – and acting on – the lived experiences of victims and survivors of CSA.