ANALYSIS: In the latest in our series of articles on the policing workforce in England and Wales, Policing Insight’s Ian Wiggett reviews the official data for the 2022/23 financial year, and explores some of the resulting challenges facing police forces – including the significant reduction in staff and PCSOs, the struggles for some around retention and resignations, and how to adapt to the ‘new normal’.

FEATURE: A new report from INTERPOL reflects on how law enforcement across its global membership of 195 countries is working towards greater gender inclusivity; Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth looks at how the agency – which this year celebrates its 100th anniversary – recognises efforts by countries including Australia and New Zealand to improve female representation within all level of law enforcement.

OPINION: This year marks the 125th anniversary of the official recognition of police matrons in Australia, but women had undertaken this work for at least 50 years beforehand; University of Newcastle Criminology Lecturer Dr Alice Neikirk explores one of women’s earliest roles in policing – a role which shared many of the same characteristics as today’s problem-orientated policing model.

FEATURE: A new study by researchers from the University of Portsmouth suggests that despite increases in the number of women being promoted to senior posts in policing, structural and cultural barriers mean that in many instances female officers continue to be ‘overlooked and undermined’ in relation to career progression, unless they ‘exhibit qualities which accord with the hegemonic masculine norms of policing’, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: Join us for this years Disability in Policing Conference supported by Policing Insight as media partner and taking place 20th – 21st September 2023 at the Leonardo Hotel at Hinckley Island in the UK.

INTERVIEW: With the Uplift recruitment programme creating a “dramatically changing workforce”, Cambridgeshire Constabulary set about engaging both the workforce and the community in drawing up a force culture statement; one result was the launch of a force-wide Leadership and Culture Programme which is already proving to be a “game changer”, as Ch Supt Becky Tipping explained to Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons.

FEATURE: With police forces in England and Wales facing challenges around building female representation in the service – particularly from seldom-heard communities – Sgt Mussa Meman and PC Nikki Nabi of Lancashire Police identified that the way the police fitness test was administered was leading to a disproportionate number of failures among female applicants, and created a new community focused approach that has significantly improved pass rates and helped to increase female representation within the force.

INTERVIEW: With a policing career spanning more than three decades, Deborah Friedl is now bringing all her experience to bear as President of the International Association of Women Police (IAWP); she spoke to Policing Insight’s Christine Townsend about the work of the IAWP, the challenges facing women in policing today, and why she would willingly do it all again.

OPINION: Neurodiverse young people and adults – particularly those with ADHD – may experience a number of traits that are likely to push them towards criminality; Met Police DC Daley Jones, co-chair of the ADHD Alliance, believes asking detainees to complete a simple, 18-step questionnaire could give them an indication that they might have a life-changing condition that can be helped with treatment and care, which may lead them away from offending.

FEATURE: Following the statement by Police Scotland Chief Constable Sir Iain Livingstone that the force is “institutionally racist and discriminatory”, a new report finds that the culture in Scotland’s single force is plagued by misogyny and sexism – with female staff paying the price, as Policing Insight’s James Sweetland reports.

INTERVIEW: Recognised by the International Association of Women Police as the longest serving female police officer in the world, Victoria Police Det Snr Sgt Joy Murphy this month received the Medal of the Order of Australia in the King’s Birthday Honours; now in her 51st year as a police officer, she spoke to Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons about her passion for policing, her efforts to improve the service to victims, and her continuing advocacy for equal opportunities

FEATURE: With support from the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, a women and policing network is encouraging and empowering female officers and staff in the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service; Policing Insight’s Christine Townsend spoke to DCO Nancy Barnard and Supt Wendy Parchment about efforts to increase female representation, and the Island’s unique culture, heritage and policing challenges which create opportunities for women officers.

OPINION: The continuing debate about institutional racism and policing remains under the spotlight following last month’s statement by Police Scotland Chief Constable Sir Iain Livingstone that the force is institutionally racist; but former Police Scotland Superintendent Martin Gallagher, now an Associate of the London Policing College, believes that the real problem lies with individuals rather than institutions – including a number of senior leaders.

FEATURE: The City of London Police has become the first UK force to automatically screen custody detainees for ADHD, in a bid to improve understanding and diagnosis as well as identifying the required support; Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons looks at the new initiative, and spoke to ADHD Alliance founder DC Daley Jones about the need for greater neurodivergence awareness across the criminal justice system.

ANALYSIS: The decision earlier this year by TVNZ to cancel Police Ten 7 – the channel’s longest running reality series – sparked claims of wokeness and cancel culture; but new research by Auckland University of Technology Associate Professor Antje Deckert, and Juan Marcellus Tauri, Adjunct Associate Professor at Macquarie University, found that the programme had over-represented Māori and Pasifika suspects in violent offences, and under-represented the proportion of Māori and Pasifika police officers.

FEATURE: Research exploring the policing of BAME communities in Scotland – part of a series of studies on ‘seldom-heard groups’ published by Police Scotland, the Scottish Institute for Policing Research and the Scottish Police Authority – has called for more value to be placed on community policing, a trauma-informed approach to improve understanding of people’s previous experience, and greater cultural awareness training, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

OPINION: Although there can still be a stigma around the issues of disability and neurodiversity, for Met Police DC Daley Jones, co-chair of the ADHD Alliance, his diagnosis in his 30s with ADHD and Dyspraxia was a liberating moment; here he talks about his own experiences, and the opportunities and options available that can help achieve a ‘fair and level playing field’ for those with neurodiverse conditions and disabilities.

ANALYSIS: A series of recent reviews and reports have highlighted issues around misogyny and gender inequality in UK policing; in this article Dr Wendy Laverick, Professor Peter Joyce and Dr Emma Cunningham explore the context of some of those issues, and consider the advances as well as the continuing challenges in relation to gender equity in British policing.

ANALYSIS: While the Casey Review focused on the shortcomings of London’s Metropolitan Police, other forces around the UK have their own challenges in relation to equality, diversity and inclusion; Criminal Justice Lecturer Dr Ali Malik argues that Police Scotland, the UK’s second largest force after the Met, has plenty of work to do to address concerns around racism, misogyny and bullying within its ranks.

ANALYSIS: The authors of a new report – the first in a series of five on policing ‘seldom heard groups’ published by Police Scotland, the Scottish Institute for Policing Research and the Scottish Police Authority – have called for more to be done to overcome the challenges of policing people with multiple social identities and characteristics such as race, religion, sexuality and disability, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

LONG READ: Thirty years after the murder of Stephen Lawrence – and the subsequent Inquiry description of the Met Police as “institutionally racist” – the force, and UK policing more widely, is wrestling with many of the same issues; Policing Insight’s Ian Weinfass spoke to officers involved both then and now to find out what has changed over the past three decades, and what more needs to be done.

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.

OPINION: The findings of Baroness Casey’s review of the Met Police were difficult reading for many, and described a force in crisis; John Fox, Senior Lecturer in Police Studies at the University of Portsmouth, believes the situation calls for strong measures – including the polygraph testing of applicants, better support for whistleblowers, and creating a hostile environment for toxic behaviour – to drive essential cultural change.

ANALYSIS: In the third of a month-long series of articles celebrating International Women’s Day, Kendal Wright and Dr Keely Duddin of the Open University’s Policing Organisation and Practice Department share an insight into a ground-breaking study exploring women’s experiences of motherhood in the police.