People development

OPINION: The appointment of a new Inspector General of Police in Nigeria has brought about some closure to calls for reform of the country’s security architecture; but as Dr Lanre Ikuteyijo of Obafemi Awolowo University explains, the new incumbent will face a long ‘to do’ list – from rebuilding community relations and improving the police image to rooting out corruption and improving the morale and welfare of officers.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: Police forces in England and Wales face a huge challenge to recruit an extra 20,000 officers by 2023, but there are helpful lessons to be learned from elsewhere. PwC has been working with the Swedish Police, who have a similarly ambitious recruitment target. Here, Muz Janoowalla, Director of Data and Analytics at PwC UK, and Fredrik Birkeland, Public Sector Consultant at PwC Sweden, look at the Swedish experience of using survey data and the importance of knowing your target group.

TAKE PART IN THE SURVEY: Policing employers and employees across the UK are being encouraged to take part in a biennial research project, to gauge the skills and training support needs of the entire workforce. Leading the national study, Jon Parry, Head of Research at Skills for Justice, discusses how the findings will help shape a future where staff resilience and wellbeing is both nurtured and adept to meeting the demands of the modern service.

OPINION: The death earlier this year of Mthokozisi Ntumba, shot by police as he walked past a student protest, has highlighted South Africa’s painful history of police using excessive force against protesters; Frans Viljoen, Professor of International Human Rights Law, believes a recently published report on public order policing, and a proposed amendment to the South African Police Act, could be a catalyst for change.

ANALYSIS: The results of a recent survey of New Zealand Police Association members have confirmed high levels of post-traumatic stress (PTS) among both serving and former and serving officers, and underlined the need for greater support and services for those experiencing the effects of PTS.

OPINION: The guilty verdict in the trial of Derek Chauvin for the killing of George Floyd should be the catalyst for fundamental change in US policing, believes Professor Temitope Oriola, who argues that – with 17 disciplinary complaints against him – the fact that Chauvin was still a serving officer suggests the system is broken.

OPINION: Policing, like much of the public sector, is based on a legacy structure, with leaders progressing through the ranks; but Devon and Cornwall Chief Inspector Steve Lenney wonders what would happen if visionary private-sector leaders saw an opportunity to deliver improved policing services and make a profit?

ANALYSIS: A research project to collate audio diaries from serving UK police officers has highlighted the impact that stress and emotional suppression is having on their mental health; Former detective inspector Sarah-Jane Lennie, now a Chartered Psychologist and Researcher at Manchester Metropolitan University, outlines the findings from the project, and the implications for policing and police officers.

OPINION: In the latest in his series of bi-monthly articles, Superintendent Simon Nelson, President of the Disabled Police Association, looks at the unnecessary impact of the job-related fitness test on those with disabilities, and calls for a wider conversation about the appropriateness of the test for a changing workforce.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: Involved in policing for over 30 years, the end of 2020 marked Mike Cunningham’s departure from his pivotal role as Chief Executive of the College of Policing (CoP). This year, continuing on his mission to drive change across the sector, Mike has joined Skills for Justice as an associate; here he talks with Toby Lindsay, Principal Consultant for Leadership, Management and Organisation Development (OD), about the skills he deems essential to the future of policing.

FEATURE: Several studies over recent years have highlighted the issues around mental health, stress and fatigue faced by blue light workers, but awareness hasn’t always led to action; Debra Kettle of KIM Software Solutions, organisers of a new series of wellbeing webinars for the emergency services, hopes the shared experiences and discussions will help to turn the rhetoric into reality.

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 second half of a two-part feature, Dr Wendy Laverick of Hull University and Professor Peter Joyce of Wrexham Glyndŵr University explore the impact of Lord Scarman’s recommendations, and their legacy on key areas of police reform.

ANALYSIS: Vulnerability is increasingly important to operational policing - but how can these complex narratives be best embedded in police education? Jennifer Norman and Dr Emma Williams of the Open University discuss the development of an interdisciplinary approach.

FEATURE: Continuing a new series of The Police Student, Policing Insight Academic Editor Dr Carina O’Reilly explores the key issue of ‘What is policing?’ In this article she looks at a range of models that have been used to try to represent or modify how policing works in different countries, and also examines the leading contemporary model of Evidence-Based Policing.

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: With UK policing seemingly under constant scrutiny and a barrage of criticism, former Derbyshire Police officer Rob Smallwood, now a Senior Lecturer at Staffordshire University's Institute of Policing, considers what drives allegiance to policing, and the sense of shared commitment to the police oath.

INTERVIEW: Managing conflict and challenging conversations is a key skill for all front-line officers, but police leaders also have to navigate difficult conversations with colleagues, commissioners and partners; Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth talks to communication and conflict expert Nicole Posner about the challenges of managing conflict, and how to conduct challenging conversations with confidence.

FEATURE: A major report into bullying in New Zealand Police has called for a ‘reset of values’ after highlighting a negative culture of fear and punishment, examples of sexist and racist behaviour, and a ‘boys’ club’ based on power relationships and perpetuated by allegiances, cliques and cronyism; but report author Judge Colin Doherty recognised that the service has ‘turned a corner’ under Commissioner Andrew Coster.

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: After 38 years in the police service, British Transport Police Temporary Chief Constable Adrian Hanstock is shortly due to retire, having become the only openly gay male police officer to lead a UK force; he spoke to Policing Insight Deputy Editor Sarah Gibbons about his fears when he first joined the job, the progress policing has made on diversity, and the challenges that still need to be tackled.

INNOVATION: Intelligent automation is delivering significant savings, greater efficiency and improved job satisfaction for many forces across England and Wales; Christy Hopkins and Andy Willmer of consultancy Deloitte highlight some of the key benefits already realised by this automated addition to the police workforce.

FEATURE: While the private sector is increasingly recognising and benchmarking the importance of a high-quality workplace environment in achieving improved performance, the public sector his still some way behind; Dubai Police consultant Jorge Román explains how the force is leading the way, by becoming the first police agency to secure accreditation from the Great Place to Work Institute.

OPINION: As the world celebrates International Women’s Day, former police officer Dr Sarah Jane Fox, now a member of the Institute of Policing at Staffordshire University, highlights the key role that women already play in policing – and the efforts to address the gender imbalance in police services around the globe, as well as in wider society.

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.