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.

OPINION: This week’s damning Casey Review into the Metropolitan Police Service has highlighted major concerns over racism, misogyny and homophobia, the neglect of basic command units in favour of elite units, and a broken misconduct system; with calls from some quarters for the Met to be broken up, Police Foundation Director Rick Muir says it’s essential for the force to reinvent itself if it is to survive.

FEATURE: UK national policing targets and league tables – supposedly scrapped by the Government more than a decade ago – now look set to return; Police Federation of England and Wales National Board Member David Bamber, and University of Sunderland Policing Lecturer Adrian Smiles, explore the previous impact of a target-driven culture on policing and the public sector, and what the consequences could be for today’s service.

OPINION: RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki will retire later this month, after almost five years leading the service during a period of successive crises including the first unionization of its officers and a class-action lawsuit over allegations of bullying and harassment; but Dr Eli Sopow argues that changing the person at the helm of the service will do little to address the structural and cultural challenges it faces.

FEATURE: Against the backdrop of the public outcry over police criminality and misconduct, Psychologist Dr Heather Taylor argues that the key to reducing the risk of problematic workforce behaviours lies as much in the hands of thoughtful leadership and effective HR management as it does in a powerful culture of vetting checks and professional standards enforcement.

INTERVIEW: Last year Donna Adams became the first female Commissioner of Tasmania Police; but while she acknowledges that her pioneering role will be “nice to reflect on” at the end of her career, she believes her diverse experience and a commitment to leading from the front will be more important in delivering positive change for the force, as she explained to Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons.

INTERVIEW: Martin Hewitt, Chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council, steps down in April after a four-year term leading the organisation through one of the most difficult times in UK policing: in this second of a two-part interview with strategy and business transformation leader Raj Singh, he spoke about a range of issues including the arrival of a new government under Prime Minister Boris Johnson, responding to Covid, and the challenges to be faced by the NPCC and its Chair Designate, Chief Constable Gavin Stephens, over next four years.

INTERVIEW: West Midlands Chief Superintendent Harvi Khatkar was the first woman of colour to reach the superintending ranks in her force – and as Vice-President of the Police Superintendents' Association (PSA), she is the first to hold a national office in the PSA; in the first of a two-part interview with Policing Insight’s Keith Potter, she spoke about the concerns around misogyny and wider policing culture highlighted during her recent Home Affairs Committee appearance.

INTERVIEW: Martin Hewitt, Chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council, steps down in April after completing his four-year term leading the organisation through one of the most difficult times in UK policing: in this first of a two-part interview, he spoke to strategy and business transformation leader Raj Singh about what drives him, the challenges of leadership, the role of the NPCC, and what the future holds for the organisation.

OPINION: With incidents of police misconduct ranging from inappropriate to criminal behaviour seemingly dominating the headlines, policing culture is increasingly under the microscope; former officer and Policing Lecturer Derek Flint looks at the issue of ‘psychological safety’, and the importance of leaders creating a ‘positive and productive version’ of safety that enables poor behaviour to be challenged effectively.

OPINION: This week saw calls for a ‘leadership style more open to critique’ to address policing’s ‘toxic’ culture; but Policy Exchange Head of Crime & Justice David Spencer, a former detective chief inspector, argues that while a new leadership doctrine is needed, solutions to the current crisis must be rooted in policing’s history and the unique role officers are asked to do.

INTERVIEW: After a 30-year career which saw her rise to the top of the Aurora Illinois Police Department, former chief Kristen Ziman retired in 2021 and found herself facing a difficult transition; 18 months on, with her first book published, and putting her specialist interests in counter-terrorism and gun violence to good use, she’s not ready to give up making a positive difference just yet, as she explained to Policing Insight’s Christine Townsend.

INTERVIEW: Metropolitan Police Commander Dr Alison Heydari is the UK’s most senior black female officer, leading for the force on neighbourhood policing and nationally on out-of-court disposals; in the first in a two-part interview, she spoke to Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons about the importance for leaders of listening to staff, the need to recognise and praise work done well, and the vital role of resilience in coping with change.

OPINION: With his first three months in the UK’s most high-profile policing job now complete, Met Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley has been clear about his efforts to improve the force and root out corruption; Policing Lecturer and historian Tom Andrews believes the current Commissioner can draw on the example of a famous predecessor and namesake, Sir Robert Mark.

INTERVIEW: As Cambridge PD’s first female Commissioner, Christine Elow is determined to achieve her career-long ambition to “really make a difference”; and as a woman of colour and a parent to twin African-American 17-year-old sons, she’s also well aware that there are historical scars in the relationship between policing and some communities that are yet to heal, as she explained to Policing Insight’s Christine Townsend.

INTERVIEW: West Midlands Police Chief Constable Sir Dave Thompson retires next month, after more than 32 years in the service; ahead of his last National Police Chiefs’ Council conference this week, he spoke to Policing Insight’s Keith Potter about the impact of fresh financial cuts on policing, the importance of chief officers using their voice, and the dangers of policing being used as a ‘football in the culture wars’.

ANALYSIS: In this latest article in a series on 21st century community engagement, Intensive Engagement Managing Director Richard James (a former police territorial commander), Stephen Carr, Transformation Strategy Lead for the Home Office, and Police Foundation Research Director Andy Higgins build on the findings of the recent Strategic Review of Policing to explore local policing and leadership through the themes of people, problems and places.

OPINION: The recent publication of Baroness Casey’s interim report into the internal discipline system of the Met Police found not only an apparent failure to address misconduct by some officers, but little faith in the complaints procedure among the officers and staff of the UK’s largest force; Professor Colin Rogers of the University of South Wales believes that adopting an organisational justice approach could be key to meeting those challenges.

INTERVIEW: The culture of policing continues to be a matter of international discussion, and global law enforcement leaders gathered in Dublin over the summer to move the debate forward; An Garda Síochána Deputy Commissioner Shawna Coxon spoke to Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons about the issues discussed in Dublin, and how they will feed into efforts to address cultural change, starting with a leaders workshop at this weekend’s International Association of Chiefs of Police conference.

FEATURE: Regaining public trust in policing, and equipping new recruits with the necessary skills and expertise as quickly as possible, were among the key challenges for UK police leaders identified by policing academic Professor Colin Rogers and Essex Chief Constable BJ Harrington during a leadership debate at the recent London Policing College International Conference, as Policing Insight’s Keith Potter reports.

OPINION: This month saw the appointment of a new Commissioner and Acting Deputy Commissioner for the Metropolitan Police Service, the UK’s biggest police force; Martyn Underhill, a former Met police officer who served as Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner from 2012-2021, believes the new leadership team will have to make some swift and fairly radical changes to address the key challenges affecting public confidence and performance in the force.