Operational policing

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.

INNOVATION: Camera technology used in healthcare settings and hospitals to monitor a person’s movement, pulse and breathing is being introduced into custody suites in Devon and Cornwall – the first police use of the new high-tech system – after a successful two-year trial.

OPINION: The world of forensic science in the UK is changing, in the form of a new national network with police forces as members; Jo Ashworth, CEO of the Forensic Capability Network, explains that forces must get actively involved to help shape the future of forensics.

Opinion: The arrest of one of the world’s most wanted alleged drugs lords has sparked debate around strategies to best tackle organised crime and minimise the harm caused to communities; Dr John Coyne, Head of Strategic Policing and Law Enforcement Program at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, explains the need for a more nuanced approach, rather than simply decapitating OC groups.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: The disruptive events of 2020 present new pathways for public sector organisations to accelerate the progress they’ve already made in advancing their digital ambitions. But first they need to overcome legacy challenges to achieve a single view of their citizens and start small to harness innovation.

FEATURE: A new research project involving the National Police Chiefs' Council, the PSHE Association and the London School of Economics has highlighted the significant benefits of enabling training officers to deliver lessons in schools on issues such as drugs and the law; Prof Jon Jackson of LSE and Dr Chris Pósch of UCL explain the project and the importance of the findings.

ANALYSIS: Levels of violent crime across America saw an unprecedented increase in 2020; in this latest essay from the Violence Reduction Project, Professors Jerry Ratcliffe and Evan Sorg – both former police officers – argue that effective use of foot patrol could be the key to re-engaging with communities and reducing violence.

INSIGHT: In an increasingly digital world, the role of forensic linguistics will be crucial to law enforcement as an aid to correctly identifying text authors and voices, so investment in research and awareness raising among police officers and the judiciary, are vital to its success. Georgina Heydon outlines how this powerful, yet little known, tool can be integrated into investigations.

FEATURE: A new book by the former Director of GCHQ the UK’s first Security and Intelligence Co-ordinator outlines some of the key skills and attributes required of spies; but as Policing Insight's Andrew Staniforth reports, the book includes approaches and attitudes that would benefit any police officer involved in intelligence gathering and analytical thinking.

FEATURE: The UK Biometrics Commissioner has highlighted variations between forces in the retention of DNA, software inadequacies in the fight against terrorism, and missed opportunities for the international exchange of samples that may have put the public at greater risk of crime, reports Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons.

OPINION: Lie detector tests such as polygraphs, which use an individual’s anxiety levels to indicate the veracity of their statements, have been criticised as ‘theoretically weak’ and unreliable; but new methods which rely on the asymmetry in responses from liars and truth-tellers could be the way forward, as University of Portsmouth Senior Teaching Fellow Cody Porter explains.

ANALYSIS: Former senior police officer Richard James of community engagement specialists Intensive Engagement shares the company’s methodology on working with communities to reduce crime, and how the approach can be applied to a range of other social issues.

INNOVATION: Recent serious public disorder in Brussels, and the much-covered riots in Washington DC, highlighted the dangers facing police when they are overwhelmed by unexpected public violence; a new virtual reality platform providing immersive simulation of real-world public places could offer police and security agencies the best possible preparation for such events, reports Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth.

FEATURE: Devon and Cornwall’s Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner has been pioneering efforts to improve community engagement over the past five years; and while COVID-19 has had a huge impact on face-to-face contact, the team’s approach has continued to bear fruit during pandemic lockdowns, as Policing Insight Contributing Editor Tina Orr Munro reports.

OPINION: Many sections of the media have been quick to blame ‘covidiots’ for the spread of COVID-19, and equally quick to back a police crackdown; but former chief superintendent Owen West, a Research Fellow at Keele University, says the evidence suggests the media narrative is false, and that the 'get tough' approach is part of a wider politicisation of policing that could do long-term damage to the police-public relationship.

OPINION: Coverage of protesters storming the Capitol Building in Washington DC was watched around the world, with many questioning the ease with which rioters gained entry to the heart of federal government; Tom Nolan, Associate Professor of Sociology at Emmanuel College, Boston, believes the events of the day will be viewed by many experts as ‘an international embarrassment for American law enforcement’.

OPINION: The announcement in November of a multi-million pound counter-terror centre for the UK which brings together police and the security services was rightly welcomed; but as Policing Insight's Andrew Staniforth reports, moving forwards the relationship between community policing and counter-terrorism will be crucial to negating the wide array of terrorist and extremist threats.

OPINION: Steve Ainsworth, Director of Operational Safety at Northgate Public Services, argues that taking a less linear approach to the chain of custody could help forces use forensic evidence in a more proactive way.

INTERVIEW: While many police organisations and leaders struggle to use social media effectively, Northamptonshire Chief Constable Nick Adderley regularly engages in Twitter exchanges with the wider public, while also vlogging to his own staff; Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons spoke to Mr Adderley about his online profile, his efforts to ensure openness, and why he believes good leaders need to ‘keep their hand in’.

OPINION: The digital data trail each of us leaves online is commonly used by commercial organisations to target marketing and sales efforts; but as Dr Roberto Musotto, a Research Fellow at Western Australia’s Edith Cowan University explains, ‘social network analysis’ could be a crucial tool in enabling judges and jurors to assess the value of evidence in complex cases.