People development

Job advertisement: Policing Insight is growing its editorial coverage of policing in Australia and New Zealand, and we are looking for freelance writers with an interest/expertise in policing and great contacts to join our team. The role involves keeping up with latest developments in policing through engagement with police forces, government and relevant academic, third-sector and commercial organisations, pitching and completing feature article ideas, and fulfilling commissions from our editor.

OPINION: The use of discriminatory or derogatory language about people with disabilities can cause significant damage to an individual’s confidence, and undermine any team ethic; Disabled Police Association President Simon Nelson explores the importance of addressing the use of such language (whether deliberate or innocuous), and the need for a proportionate response to mistakes that encourages progress.

ANALYSIS: New Zealand Police’s Understanding Policing Delivery programme represents a new approach to delivering on fairness and equity; Deputy Chief Executive Mark Evans, chair of the Governance Group guiding this work, explains more about the programme and how working with senior community representatives, experienced academics and local researchers aims to deliver evidence-based insights and opportunities with wide-ranging support – including from frontline Police staff.

OPINION: Policing is well aware of the performance and procedural justice scrutiny it faces in its external relationships; but Detective Chief Inspector Alisa Wilson of Lancashire Constabulary, who retires from policing this week after 21 years in the service, believes that a stronger leadership commitment to wellbeing and internal procedural justice, reinforced by the new Police Covenant, could truly change policing culture.

INTERVIEW: Trauma-informed leadership (TIL) builds on a foundation of recognizing and understanding the mental and emotional scars and challenges that officers may be experiencing; Policing Insight’s Christine Townsend spoke to law enforcement psychologist Dr David Black about the potential benefits of TIL, the risks of generational trauma, and how giving leaders the opportunity to share stories can have a positive impact on them and their staff.

OPINION: The wellbeing of police officers and staff has been a growing cause for concern in the wake of a series of challenges, including austerity cuts putting pressure on police numbers, and the impact of Covid on workloads, welfare, and the relationship with the public; James Scott, CEO & Co-Founder of the Thrive app, believes technology could and should play a greater role in the wellbeing and engagement of officers and staff.

FEATURE: Police officers in the US are at higher risk of suicide than any other profession, but despite an increase in wellbeing programs across policing, evidence-based, data-driven approaches to tackle the issue and provide support are in short supply; the launch of the Law Enforcement Suicide Data Collection could be about to change that, as Policing Insight’s Christine Townsend reports.

Newsletter launch: Policing Insight has launched a new Daily Brief to help you keep up with links to the latest policing news, opinion, analysis, research and reports from the media and key policing organisations. The Daily Brief email is powered by our Media Monitor service which is curated throughout the day by our researchers - we 'Google' so you don't have to! Sign up today to be better informed.

FEATURE: Almost a third of women experiencing the menopause consider quitting their jobs because of the severity of their symptoms, yet employers including police forces have been slow to offer support and advice; Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons looks at the efforts within Thames Valley Police to address those issues and ensure that its growing female workforce have the support they need.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: This FREE webinar, taking place on 14th July, will show you how to flourish under the pressure of being a social media professional managing the challenges and pressure - especially with the growing importance of social media in the public's interaction with the police.

OPINION: Despite the high murder rate in Kenya’s capital city of Nairobi, few cases ever make it to the courts; Dr Douglas Lucas Kivoi of the Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis believes that poor evidence gathering, police negligence and recklessness, a lack of forensic capability and claims of police involvement in extra-judicial killings are among the reasons behind the failure to solve so many murders, and sets out some key steps to address the issues.

INTERVIEW: In the second part of his interview with Policing Insight, Superintendents’ Association President Paul Fotheringham spoke to Keith Potter about the structural and operational challenges facing the rank, the pressures on measuring and improving performance, and the importance of focusing on wellbeing and good leadership.

OPINION: Recent campaigns have led to longer sentences for those who assault emergency services workers, but a new report from Transform Justice analyses why such sanctions are not working; Transform Justice Director Penelope Gibbs believes better support for staff, improved training and alternative responses to those in mental health crisis may be more effective.

FEATURE: The recently published Police Race Action Plan has prompted more discussion around the issues of racial disparity and institutional racism in UK policing; but for Dr Kul Verma, a former officer and now a leadership coach and diversity and inclusion adviser, attempts to address issues around race in policing will be doomed to fail without brave conversations based on evidence rather than opinion.

OPINION: New race-based data released by Toronto Police Service has highlighted that nearly a third of all Indigenous people arrested were strip-searched, while one in every three people who were strip-searched were Black; Monika Lemke, a PhD candidate at Canada’s York University, argues that as well as the disproportionality, strip searches are ineffective and unnecessary, and should be stopped.

Queen's Birthday Honours: We are pleased to publish and recognise Australian policing recipients of the 2022 Queen's Birthday Honours. The team at Policing Insight offer our congratulations and thank all the recipients for their service.

Queen's Birthday Honours: We are pleased to publish and recognise the New Zealand Police recipients of the 2022 Queen's Birthday Honours. The team at Policing Insight offer our congratulations and thank all the recipients for their service.

ANALYSIS: The UK has seen inward migration for several decades, and the growing refugee crises around the world suggest the number of foreign nationals residing in the country will continue to rise; James Williams, Policing Studies Lecturer at Liverpool John Moores University, believes police forces in England and Wales could and should be doing more to communicate and engage with the UK’s foreign national community.

FEATURE: Service Dogs UK provides assistance dogs to members of the police and military suffering from PTSD, and has been described as ‘a life saver’ by those it supports; but the charity believes police agencies are holding back on funding amid fears that it could “open the floodgates” to traumatised applicants, as Policing Insight Deputy Editor Sarah Gibbons discovered when she spoke to charity founder Sgt Garry Botterill.

Queen's Birthday Honours: We are pleased to publish and recognise the policing and public safety recipients of the 2022 Queen's Birthday Honours. The team at Policing Insight offer our congratulations and thank all the recipients for their service.

FEATURE: China is increasing its efforts to secure a Pacific islands policing, security and data communications deal; but by working in partnership with island nations to improve gender equality and empower women in policing, Australia could enhance its own influence and support in the region, says Dr Melissa Jardine, an international police consultant and former Victoria police officer.

ANALYSIS: The concept of ‘institutional racism’, particularly in relation to UK policing, has been a controversial one for many years, with conflicting views on both the definition itself, and how the service should tackle the issue; Policing Insight Academic Editor Carina O’Reilly explores the implications of institutional racism, why some are so reluctant to acknowledge its existence, and how the new NPCC Police Race Action Plan could herald significant changes.

ANALYSIS: In the last in our series on continuing professional development (CPD) in policing, the team at the Open University’s Centre for Policing Research and Learning examine some of the key topics in light of the recent policing reviews.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: This FREE webinar, taking place on 14th July, will show you how to flourish under the pressure of being a social media professional managing the challenges and pressure - especially with the growing importance of social media in the public's interaction with the police.