People development

INTERVIEW: College of Policing interim Deputy CEO Jo Noakes tells Policing Insight’s Ian Weinfass about possible major changes to the promotion process for sergeants and inspectors in England and Wales, and why the “emotive” and “personal” issue of workforce reform needs to be carefully handled.

OPINION: In the second of a two-part article on the police analyst profession, intelligence analysts specialists Dr Scott Keay, Keith Jackson and Steve French examine the findings from a survey by the Association of Crime and Intelligence Analysts (ACIA) about improving the analyst role and how such organisations can support the continuous professional development of analysts.

FEATURE: Delegates at the recent Senior Women in Policing conference had the opportunity to identify challenges female officers are likely to face over the next 25 years, with discussions leading to the creation of a Gender Equality Futures Playbook that forces can use to include in their forward planning, as Sarah-Jayne Bray, Development Officer with the Thames Valley Women’s Network, explained to Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons.

OPINION: In this first of a two-part article on the police analyst profession, intelligence analyst specialists Dr Scott Keay, Keith Jackson and Steve French explore the journey of the analyst role over the last 25 years, look at the barriers and challenges that have impacted on that role, and also consider the positive value that good analysis can have.

FEATURE: As law enforcement around the world embarks on meeting the challenges of 2025, Editor Keith Potter looks back over the key issues Policing Insight covered in 2024 – from technological threats and opportunities, to workforce wellbeing, the role of leadership, and the increasing focus on reform – and how these may affect the next 12 months.

FEATURE: A partnership with the Leeds-based Domestic Violence and Abuse Voices Project providing “humbling, compelling and motivating” first-hand accounts of how women have been treated by police in the past is helping officers in West Yorkshire to gain greater insights and improve the service they deliver in domestic abuse cases, while giving victim-survivors a “life-changing” opportunity to vocalise their experiences and feel heard, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

CHRISTMAS MESSAGE: As most of us prepare to put our feet up for a fortnight to celebrate the festive period – and many police officers and staff get ready for some of their busiest nights of the year – Policing Insight Editor Keith Potter wonders why the Christmas wish of health and happiness in personal lives can’t also apply to the role of police officers and staff.

FEATURE: The latest Race Discrimination Report by the Independent Office for Police Conduct has highlighted continuing racial disparities in the use of police powers such as stop and search, and called on forces to address disproportionality in an effort to end the cycle of mistrust in minority ethnic communities, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

ANALYSIS: The importance of ‘political astuteness’ as a skill for leaders is increasingly recognised – particularly in roles with tricky issues and diverse stakeholders – but the subject has seemingly been little considered within policing; Open University Visiting Fellow Dr Jane Roberts and Emeritus Professor Jean Hartley explore the research around political astuteness in policing, and the challenges involved in the relationships between politicians and police leaders.

FEATURE: A new report argues that ignoring the role of women in organised crime – whether as criminal actors, as vulnerable victims, or as policy makers and leaders in law enforcement – is creating a ‘blind spot’ in the response to such criminal activity, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

ANALYSIS: With police officers encountering digital evidence in the vast majority of inquiries, a digital evidence strategy (DES) can ensure they are prepared to effectively deal with it; Dr Graeme Horsman, Senior Lecturer in Digital Forensics at Cranfield University, explains how the GAMEPLANS acrostic can help officers produce a robust DES to effectively identify, collect, examine, and evaluate any digital devices/data, and define the circumstances when it is appropriate to conduct such tasks.

FEATURE: The under-reporting of disability hate crime (DHC) is widely acknowledged, and a DHC training package for police and the wider criminal justice sector has been developed by support organisation Dimensions, working with Nottingham Trent University (NTU); an evaluation of the training by NTU’s Associate Professor Dr Irene Zempi, Professor Loretta Trickett, and Professional Policing Course Leader Martin Tangen, highlights the positive impact of the package, as well as the importance of training being informed by lived experiences.

FEATURE: Police leaders, academics and stakeholders gathered in Ontario recently for Canada’s first in-person evidence-based policing (EBP) conference, exploring a range of topics including overcoming barriers and normalizing EBP within law enforcement, the importance of leadership in embedding the approach, and turning research into action; Policing Insight’s Matthew Wood looks at the main themes and debates emerging from the Building Bridges event.

FEATURE: A report by the Centre for Women’s Justice following up on its super-complaint about police-perpetrated domestic violence in UK forces has highlighted “entrenched cultures” across the service that “harbour misogyny and cover up wrongdoing”, and has called for improved data collection, more effective vetting, better misconduct procedures, and better decision-making around safeguarding measures when officers face repeat allegations, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

INNOVATION: A new police digital academy providing officers from five forces in north-west England with easily accessible short sessions on retrieving evidence and digital safeguarding in domestic abuse cases looks set to expand to cover other crimes and be made available to other forces, after feedback from the initial programme highlighted improvements around understanding and awareness among officers, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

FEATURE: A recent report by RAND Europe on behalf of the Ministry of Justice has highlighted a lack of experience and training among police officers among the main challenges in improving the use of out-of-court disposals (OOCDs) for adults with health vulnerabilities in England and Wales, and has also created a series of guides and a data collection prototype tool to enable forces to implement OOCDs more effectively, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

FEATURE: Senior police leaders in England and Wales are drafting guidance on governance for the hundreds of staff networks for the first time, but their efforts to establish a consistent framework have already drawn criticism from some groups, and the potential of a legal challenge, as Ian Weinfass reports.

FEATURE: Latest findings from research with Queensland Police Service indicate that organisational and operational stressors such as poor leadership, work/life balance and lack of resources can be up to three times more harmful to officers’ mental health than trauma, as Griffith University Associate Professor and police psychologist Dr Jacqueline Drew told the recent Global Evidence-Based Policing Conference.

LONG READ: A record number of police forces in England and Wales have been put into special measures (formally known as ‘Engage’) over the past three years – but what does Engage mean, and how do forces move out of it? Policing Insight’s James Sweetland spoke to HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary Andy Cooke, as well as two Chief Constables who have led their forces out of special measures – Staffordshire’s Chris Noble and Wiltshire’s Catherine Roper – to find out more.

OPINION: With public trust and confidence in policing reportedly at record low levels, University of the West of England Criminology Lecturer Finley MacDonald, and University of Hull Policing Degree Programme Director Mike McKue, explore the often overlooked changes and developments in police training which could help to address trust and confidence challenges.

INNOVATION: Immersive technologies such as virtual and augmented reality are increasingly important in society, as well as transforming how police forces train, adapt, and respond to challenges; Wrexham University Professional Policing Lecturer Darren Jacks – a former police officer with 30 years of experience – believes higher education institutions have a vital role to play in partnering with police to leverage the maximum benefits from these new technologies.

INTERVIEW: Ahead of the upcoming Investigator Wellbeing Week of Action, Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons spoke to Sarah-Jayne Bray, Programme Manager for the National Police Chiefs’ Council Recruitment, Retention and Wellbeing of Investigator Programme, and researchers Dr Liam Curran and Mark Dimelow, about the pressures and stressors facing senior investigating officers (SIOs), and what individuals and forces can do to improve SIO wellbeing.

FEATURE: The recent Safety of Our Cities conference in Ontario, Canada, highlighted the continuing debate between closer collaboration with other agencies or tougher enforcement of existing legislation as the way forward to cutting crime and ensuring the safety of urban communities; Policing Insight’s Matthew Wood looks at some of the key points put forward by chiefs and politicians from various jurisdictions.

FEATURE: In the second article in a new chapter of The Police Student series, Policing Insight Academic Editor Dr Carina O'Reilly explores the role of policing within the wider criminal justice system, including the craft of policing, the importance and impact of discretion, and policing's relationship with the Crown Prosecution Service.