Operational policing

ANALYSIS: Many people – including police officers – base their ability to detect liars on faulty logic, false promises and unreliable cues; Detective Chief Superintendent Colin Paine, and University of Portsmouth Teaching Fellow Cody Porter, expose some of the myths around lie detection, and highlight the latest evidence-based approaches to identifying the truth.

FEATURE: In his recently published second review of UK anti-terrorism legislation, Jonathan Hall QC, the Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation, has called for new police powers to tackle digital encryption; Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth explains why such powers are desperately needed to keep up with advances in technology.

Insight: A new multi-partner approach to sharing data has been adopted in Thames Valley to help tackle the scourge of violence; Governed by a principle of no 'misuse' of data, whilst ensuring there is no 'missed use' of data, the project aims to direct early intervention and prevention strategies, explains its head, DCI Lewis Prescott-Mayling.

OPINION: Levels of violent crime across America saw an unprecedented increase in 2020; in this latest essay from the Violence Reduction Project, former police officer and current police reservist Steve Bellow outlines what Black communities want from policing – and why its important to listen to the people, rather than experts, academics and civic leaders.

OPINION: Serious public disorder has been a regular feature of news bulletins in recent weeks, from Bristol and Clapham Common to Belfast and Ballymena; public order expert and former chief superintendent Owen West believes a lack of clarity over coronavirus regulation has been a major factor – and if unresolved, could lead to a summer of potentially violent unrest.

FEATURE: Forty years ago this month, rioting erupted in Brixton – and later in 1981 across the country – leading to one of the most significant inquiries into policing in the UK; in the first of a two-part feature, Dr Wendy Laverick of Hull University and Professor Peter Joyce of Wrexham Glyndŵr University explore the context and key recommendations for police reform from the Scarman report.

OPINION: Levels of violent crime across America saw an unprecedented increase in 2020; in this latest essay from the Violence Reduction Project, former NYPD Chief of Department Louis Anemone sets out some specific policing strategies for reducing violence in the city, including increased solo foot patrols, a reduction in specialised roles, and an embargo on sworn officers filling administrative posts.

FEATURE: As religious worshippers around the world celebrate Easter – one of the main events in the Christian calendar – Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth reports on latest efforts by law enforcement agencies across Europe to protect places of worship from terrorist attack and hate crimes.

FEATURE: Super-recognisers – those people with exceptional abilities in recognising faces – have already been successfully deployed by police forces in the UK and elsewhere; but new research by Dr Josh Davis and Ryan Jenkins of the University of Greenwich, and David James Robertson of the University of Strathclyde, suggest those with excellent voice-recognition skills could play a similar role for law enforcement.

FEATURE: Just over a quarter of all UK police officers are response officers, but do those in this front-line role get the recognition, reassurance and support they need for taking on one of policing’s toughest challenges on a daily basis? Detective Chief Superintendent Una Jennings of South Yorkshire Police highlights the key themes and comments from the recent @WeCops Twitter chat on response policing.

Feature: As the Inquiry into the 2017 Manchester Arena terror attack continues, there is work behind the scenes to update the Joint Doctrine, the interoperability framework for UK emergency service responders; Carl Daniels of JESIP spoke to Policing Insight’s Catherine Levin about the consultation and how it has never been more important to work together.

OPINION: Levels of violent crime across America saw an unprecedented increase in 2020; in this latest essay from the Violence Reduction Project, Chicago PD officer L Garcia urges politicians, management and the media to support police in doing what they need to do – target the criminals, keep communities safe, be accountable for their mistakes, and reduce violence across the city.

INNOVATION: A recent murder investigation by Dubai Police highlighted the significant advances in brainwave science technology as a method of deception detection; Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth looks at how P300 could revolutionise lie detector tests, and why a continued focus on polygraph testing may leave the UK criminal justice system behind the times.

FEATURE: Children as young as eight were among rioters involved in six nights of violence in Northern Ireland’s Derry City in 2018, caught up in the sectarian conflict orchestrated by paramilitary gangs; since then a new diversion initiative, led by youth services and involving police and other agencies, has had a significant positive impact, as Policing Insight Contributing Editor Tina Orr Munro reports.

INNOVATION: Sniffer dogs are already used by police forces to detect everything from drugs and guns to cash and dead bodies; now police in Derbyshire are pioneering the work of a new breed of forensic dogs that can sniff out tiny traces of semen to support investigations into sexual offences, reports Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons.

FEATURE: The impact of COVID-19 has included changing crime volumes and trends, with forces having to adapt rapidly and implement new ways of working; Policing Insight’s Ian Wiggett spoke to Cheshire Constabulary’s DCS Gareth Lee and DCI Adam Ross about some of the challenges of tackling and investigating crime during the pandemic, and how the experience could drive lasting change.

OPINION: Events that occurred on London’s Clapham Common last weekend received widespread international media coverage, much of which has focused on the nature of policing and querying its appropriateness; Professor Peter Joyce and Dr Wendy Laverick examine some of the key issues regarding the manner in which the event was managed by the Metropolitan Police Service.

Opinion: In the second of two articles exploring the current spotlight on policing protests, public order specialist and former chief superintendent Owen West assesses the latest HMICFRS report on the issue, and questions the lack of focus on resources, liaison and leadership, as well as the political timing of the publication.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: Police are busy, and always being pulled in too many different directions. There’s not much time for learning – or is there? This Rapid-Fire conference, supported by Policing Insight, breaks the mould: viewers get 10-minute training sessions that cut straight to the point, rather than having to sit through an hour-long presentation only to conclude they didn’t really get anything from it.

ANALYSIS: The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill 2021 announced by the Government last week looks set to change the nature of protests in the UK, while also placing a greater onus on police to consider the noise and disruption impact of public assemblies, says public order specialist and former Chief Superintendent Owen West.

INTERVIEW: As the impact of COVID-19 continues to create an environment where organised human trafficking thrives, Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth talks to Sophie Kenneally of Agenfor International about the threat from the trade in people across Europe, and how a unique project with police in Germany, Italy and Spain will enhance the capacity of investigators to disrupt trafficking networks through financial analysis.

OPINION: With funding for policing and the wider public sector likely to be under significant pressure in the post-Covid economic landscape, resources for roads policing may be severely stretched; Charlie Norman, Managing Director of DriveTech, believes improved partnerships with the private sector could be crucial to maintaining safety on the roads.

FEATURE: Gender diversity in armed policing is under renewed focus at a national level, so it was timely for this topic to be the subject of a @WeCops debate earlier this year: Superintendent Andrea Quinton of the North West Armed Policing Collaboration and DCI Ops Pip Taylor, Tactical Firearms Commander for Sussex and Surrey Police, hosted the debate, and compiled this round-up from the evening’s key comments and questions.

FEATURE: There is growing evidence that Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are responsible for many negatives outcomes in adult life, including issues such as violent behaviour and drug addiction; and as Policing Insight Contributing Editor Tina Orr Munro reports, the failure to address ACEs early can cost society billions of pounds in the long term.