People development

FEATURE: With support from the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, a women and policing network is encouraging and empowering female officers and staff in the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service; Policing Insight’s Christine Townsend spoke to DCO Nancy Barnard and Supt Wendy Parchment about efforts to increase female representation, and the Island’s unique culture, heritage and policing challenges which create opportunities for women officers.

FEATURE: In the third of a new series of The Police Student focusing on Criminology in Policing, Policing Insight Academic Editor Dr Carina O’Reilly explores the biological theories of crime heralded by the emergence of positivism, which saw the focus switch from the offence to the offender, and considered the implications of biological predisposition, heritable traits, and the need for a response that includes rehabilitation.

OPINION: The continuing debate about institutional racism and policing remains under the spotlight following last month’s statement by Police Scotland Chief Constable Sir Iain Livingstone that the force is institutionally racist; but former Police Scotland Superintendent Martin Gallagher, now an Associate of the London Policing College, believes that the real problem lies with individuals rather than institutions – including a number of senior leaders.

FEATURE: The City of London Police has become the first UK force to automatically screen custody detainees for ADHD, in a bid to improve understanding and diagnosis as well as identifying the required support; Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons looks at the new initiative, and spoke to ADHD Alliance founder DC Daley Jones about the need for greater neurodivergence awareness across the criminal justice system.

ANALYSIS: The decision earlier this year by TVNZ to cancel Police Ten 7 – the channel’s longest running reality series – sparked claims of wokeness and cancel culture; but new research by Auckland University of Technology Associate Professor Antje Deckert, and Juan Marcellus Tauri, Adjunct Associate Professor at Macquarie University, found that the programme had over-represented Māori and Pasifika suspects in violent offences, and under-represented the proportion of Māori and Pasifika police officers.

OPINION: With British policing facing ongoing challenges around trust and confidence, as well as seemingly endless media scrutiny and criticism couple with frequent political attacks, the service is struggling to reconnect with the communities it is there to serve; David Marshall, a serving officer with more than 30 years’ experience who is also a part-time policing lecturer and PhD researcher, sets out the steps he believes policing needs to take to reset those connections and address the challenges.

FEATURE: Research exploring the policing of BAME communities in Scotland – part of a series of studies on ‘seldom-heard groups’ published by Police Scotland, the Scottish Institute for Policing Research and the Scottish Police Authority – has called for more value to be placed on community policing, a trauma-informed approach to improve understanding of people’s previous experience, and greater cultural awareness training, 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 Casey Review highlighted issues of “institutional racism, misogyny and homophobia” in the Met, and sent a message to the service more widely about the need to address these and other issues; at a recent Birmingham City University online panel, current and former police officers joined academics to discuss the implications of the Review, with several emphasising the need to focus on the challenges rather than the terminology, as Keith Potter reports.

OPINION: Although there can still be a stigma around the issues of disability and neurodiversity, for Met Police DC Daley Jones, co-chair of the ADHD Alliance, his diagnosis in his 30s with ADHD and Dyspraxia was a liberating moment; here he talks about his own experiences, and the opportunities and options available that can help achieve a ‘fair and level playing field’ for those with neurodiverse conditions and disabilities.

FEATURE: Evidence-based policing is increasingly used to prevent crime and pursue offenders, but an innovative Cumbria Police approach is assessing student officers’ workloads and wellbeing through a crime harm index – with results including a reduction in resignations and a greater support for those early in their careers, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports

FEATURE: With the new Forensic Science Code of Practice coming into force later this year, policing has a chance to boost standards across its forensics functions; but as a panel at the recent Digital Forensic Forum argued, meeting these stringent requirements is only possible if policing leaders are willing to step up their interest in forensics and push for cultural change, reports Policing Insight’s James Sweetland.

ANALYSIS: Reports of ‘deaths following police contact’ often include instances of individuals being restrained, but for anyone suffering from Acute Behavioural Disturbance (ABD), such an approach can prove fatal; former Kent Police Sergeant Darren Moor outlines the key indicators of ABD, the steps officers can take to ensure medical support is available, and what to do if restraint is unavoidable.

LONG READ: In February, leading police officers were joined by law enforcement stakeholders, suppliers and academics for a one-day round table on transforming police public contact, organised by policy advice and strategic development organisation Cityforum; in this report – based on contributions made at the round table – independent policing consultant Nick Gargan, who chaired one of the event sessions, explores the key issues including addressing public expectations, the increasing shift to digital channels, and the options for improving service delivery.

OPINION: In January this year, four years after the suicide of Vancouver Police Constable Nicole Chan following her devastating experiences of bullying and harassment at work, a coroner’s inquest delivered 12 recommendations highlighting severe systemic issues within the Department; University Canada West Associate Professor Jason Walker argues that this latest example of the toxic side of cop culture and the ‘blue wall’ of silence is more evidence of the need for a lawmakers’ response to preventable violence at work.

ANALYSIS: When the Government announced its intention to recruit an additional 20,000 officers in under four years, there were many who doubted it could be done, but the target has been surpassed by some way; with headcount grown by 20,951 from the November 2019 baseline, and only one force – the Metropolitan Police – failing to recruit its allocation, Ian Wiggett takes a deeper look at what all this means for the service.

OPINION: The role of leaders in policing has never been under closer scrutiny, but not all of those in command roles can point to a wealth of experience in operational leadership; former Police Scotland superintendent Martin Gallagher believes that successful operational experience – alongside ability and achievement – should be a cornerstone for promotion to the most senior roles.

FEATURE: The authors of a new report – the second in a series of five on policing ‘seldom-heard groups’ published by Police Scotland, the Scottish Institute for Policing Research and the Scottish Police Authority – have highlighted greater visibility and engagement, better cultural awareness and more funding among the key steps to building better relationships between Police Scotland and refugee and asylum seeker communities, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

OPINION: Three Ontario Provincial Police officers involved in the fatal shooting of an 18-month-old baby and his father are shortly due to stand trial for manslaughter; Adjunct Professor Patrick G Watson, Postdoctoral Fellow Carmen Nave and PhD Candidate T Sidhu believe that aside from holding officers accountable for their actions, such trials are also positive mechanisms that allow for public scrutiny of the use-of-force training, policies and practices of police forces.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: Evidence from a series of police reviews and inquiries in recent years has revealed serious and systemic misogyny and violence against women and girls in policing. Both police culture, and police vetting, misconduct, and disciplinary practices have been identified as contributing to this situation. This event, supported by Policing Insight as media partner, brings police researchers, stakeholders and practitioners together to explore these issues, share knowledge in the field, and ultimately shape a research agenda for the future.

OPINION: While full details are yet to be confirmed, some initial information is emerging about the latest ‘fourth route’ non-degree entry into UK policing; former officer and University of Derby Policing Lecturer Tom Andrews fears the new pathway could prompt concerns over validation, delivery, and additional costs for forces.

INTERVIEW: Having taken up a role in the private sector after a lengthy and successful career in the United States Secret Service, Kim Cheatle returned to the agency as its Director last summer, with a glowing endorsement from President Joe Biden; she recently spoke to Policing Insight’s Christine Townsend about her passion for the job, her admiration for her colleagues, and the partnerships being built by the Secret Service to tackle new and emerging crimes and threats.

OPINION: Online child sexual abuse activity has reached staggeringly high levels and increasing depravity; ahead of this month’s Policing Institute for the East Region (PIER) conference on tackling online harms, Simon Bailey, former Chief Constable of Norfolk and now PIER Chair, argues that a whole system approach to the issue – including education and regulation – is essential, as is the better use of technology by law enforcement.

OPINION: The findings of the recent Casey Review are likely to have the Metropolitan Police and other forces promoting their values and drawing a line in the sand over inappropriate behaviour; but workplace relationships expert Arran Heal believes the best way to develop a positive ‘Clear Air’ culture is by clearly stating behaviours the organisation wants people to exhibit, supported by training in the skills that people need.