Investigation

FEATURE: Concerns over the wellbeing of investigators – particularly those involved in sexual offence cases – has been raised in a number of reports and reviews, but recent efforts to focus on those issues has helped to significantly reduce the number of unfilled detective vacancies; ahead of next month’s Investigator Wellbeing Week of Action, Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons spoke to organiser Sarah-Jayne Bray about the aims of the event and the difference the renewed focus is making to officer and staff wellbeing.

FEATURE: The rapid expansion in the use of digital devices has presented new opportunities and challenges for police in the UK and internationally in leveraging information from digital data in criminal investigations; ahead of next week’s London Policing College workshop focusing on these issues, lecturer and consultant Dr Stuart Hyde, an experienced chief police officer and previous national police lead for data compliance, explores some the key concerns around skillsets, the regulatory framework, and the dangers of over-reliance on specialists.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: Join us in Manchester at the annual ANPR Conference 13-14 November supported by Policing Insight, with this year's focus on 'optimising capability'.

ANALYSIS: Historically low reporting and conviction rates for rape and sexual assault in the UK and elsewhere remain a significant cause for concern; Pragya Agarwal, Visiting Professor of Social Inequities and Injustice at Loughborough University, believes that proper training in rape myths – and greater awareness for officers and juries around unconscious biases against sexual assault survivors – are essential if women are to trust the system enough to report more offences.

ANALYSIS: The rapid expansion of the metaverse will leave police facing a whole new raft of challenges and potential criminality; in the second in a series of articles highlighting key topics and debates from last week’s UK Police Digital Summit, Policing Insight’s Graham Jarvis spoke to technology expert Dr David Nugent about policing the metaverse, the balance between free speech and accountability, and how verified digital identities could help to reduce and detect crime while freeing up police resources.

INTERVIEW: In the second part of our extended interview series with Metropolitan Police Chief Scientific Officer Professor Lawrence Sherman, Policing Insight’s James Sweetland spoke to him about VAWG 100, the force’s innovative new approach to tackling high-harm offences against women and girls.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: The world of data and analytics is changing. An ever-growing range of sources of information and intelligence, whilst necessary for the modern policing mission, can also provide challenges. How do Analysts avoid being overwhelmed and missing important pieces of the puzzle?

ANALYSIS: The Government of British Columbia has introduced new policing standards in relation to the response to and investigation of sexual assault, in a bid to ensure a “victim-centred, trauma-informed approach”, as well as highlighting the need for police policies to be “culturally-appropriate and legally-informed”, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

INTERVIEW: As cybersecurity threats persist, Dr Reza Montasari, Senior Lecturer in Cyber Threats at the Cyber Threats Research Centre at Swansea University, spoke to Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth about the dangers to law enforcement agencies and public sector authorities, and how new approaches to cyber security and the application of artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms present opportunities to transform policing.

ANALYSIS: Confidential informers play a significant role in police investigations around the world, but there are also recognised risks of informers committing ‘treachery’ – either intentionally feeding officers false information, or revealing their identity to a third person; new research by Sgt David Younan and Crime Analyst Sarah Harmer – both of London Police Service, Ontario – examines the instances of treachery by Service informants over a two-decade period, and suggests evidence-based approaches that policing can implement to minimize the risks.

OPINION: With a growing emphasis on police collaboration with partner agencies and stakeholders, Association of British Investigators (ABI) Secretariat Tony Imossi sets out why he believes closer working between policing and the ABI’s private investigator membership could bring a range of benefits including enhanced investigative skills, improved efficiency and resource allocation, and enhanced training and professional development opportunities.

OPINION: Metropolitan Police Chief Digital, Data and Technology Officer Darren Scates recently completed his two-year tenure as Chair of the UK’s National Police Technology Council; in this article he looks back at the significant and rapid changes during that period, and looks ahead at the opportunities for innovation facing policing, both in the short and longer term.

ANALYSIS: Police forces in England and Wales have yet to find a way of resolving low rape charging rates and poor victim experiences, but creating specialist rape investigation units is frequently proposed as part of the solution; Det Ch Supt Phil Sparrow of South Wales Police, and Operation Soteria joint academic lead Professor Katrin Hohl, explore how the Soteria approach to specialism has helped the force climb to the top of rape charging rate table, and discuss why distinguishing between ‘dedicated’ and ‘specialist’ units matters.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: Frontline officers can feel overwhelmed by a rising tide of new multimedia evidence sources, plus ever more local and national policies. Ian Williams explains how new policies and legislation can be quickly incorporated into Pronto workflows – helping officers progress investigations to the highest standards from reporting through to prosecution with Motorola Solutions’ digital policing platform.

INTERVIEW: In the latest in a series of interviews with leading figures involved in the research and investigation of organised crime, Policing Insight’s Chris Allen spoke to David Graves, Managing Director of DG Anti-Fraud Consultants, about the role private investigators can play in targeting crime, the need for policing to go ‘back to basics’, and why organised crime can be viewed as a virus.

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FEATURE: Coverage of the recent State of Policing in England and Wales report focused in large part on HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary Andy Cooke’s warning that “public trust in the police is hanging by a thread”; but Policing Insight’s Graham Wettone believes other messages from the report around a “dysfunctional and defective” criminal justice system, a return to the “basics” of policing and the need for new policing priorities are equally important, but have been largely overlooked.

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: The recent announcement that all forces in England and Wales will now attend every burglary – coupled with a change in crime counting rules to distinguish between home break-ins and thefts from sheds and garages – has been heralded by police chiefs as an important step towards greater support for victims, improved transparency, and a return to policing fundamentals, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

ANALYSIS: Continued exposure to horrific imagery and harrowing testimony is having a significant impact on the mental health of crime investigators across Europe; Dr Fazeelat Duran, a Postdoctoral researcher in occupational psychology at the University of Birmingham, outlines the findings of recent research that highlights the scale of the problem, and gives a voice to frontline officers who feel ignored by policymakers.

FEATURE: The new National Fraud Strategy has been welcomed by many, especially as the last full national plan expired back in 2011; but alongside the resources the new strategy provides – including 400 investigators and a new reporting service – it comes with a tough target to cut fraud offences by 10% in just over two years, as Policing Insight’s James Sweetland reports.

INTERVIEW: In the latest in a series of interviews with leading figures involved in the research and investigation of organised crime, Policing Insight’s Chris Allen spoke to former police superintendent Colin Carswell, Director of the Counter Trafficking Network, about his investigations into large-scale human trafficking as a police officer, the importance of partnership working, and the need to ‘follow the money’ to combat organised crime.

FEATURE: A police officer who endured years of sexual abuse is working to establish a network of victim survivor ambassadors across police forces in England and Wales to improve the service delivered to victims of sexual abuse and violence; Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons spoke to the City of London’s PC Jon-Jay Needham about the benefits the independent advocate could deliver both for victims and policing.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: Digital transformation is pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in policing – from data analytics and mobile workforce optimization to online citizen engagement and investigations. But when it comes to delivering on the promise of digital transformation, one technology that police departments are embracing in growing numbers is cloud-based DEMS (Digital Evidence Management System). This article explores 12 powerful ways that DEMS is transforming policing, from crime to justice.