People development

OPINION: The recent dismissal of former Northamptonshire Chief Constable Nick Adderley for gross misconduct prompted many comments from officers and staff who felt let down by his actions; but former Scottish police officer Graham Goulden, now an active bystander trainer, believes it’s important for officers to recognise the need for loyalty to communities, rather than simply blind loyalty to colleagues.

ANALYSIS: In the second in a series of four articles, Policing Insight’s Matthew Wood looks more closely at why culture matters in policing, and how traits such as solidarity, suspicion, intolerance, and excitement seeking can damage public confidence, while others including conservatism, cynicism, and policing’s ‘masculine ethos’ can create barriers to reform.

OPINION: Protest in Kenya has often been criminalised, leading to brutal police crackdowns as seen in recent protests against the cost of living in Kenya, and an attempt by the government to introduce new taxes, where police responded with live bullets and teargas, reportedly leaving more than a dozen people killed and hundreds injured; Dr Kamau Wairuri, who has studied the policing of protests in Kenya, explains what contributes to the violence witnessed during public demonstrations.

INTERVIEW: Former Scottish Lord Advocate Lady Elish Angiolini KC is chair of the eponymous inquiry into the rape and murder of Sarah Everard by serving Met Police officer Wayne Couzens; in this exclusive interview with Policing Insight she talks to James Sweetland about the inquiry’s review of Couzens’ offending history, including historic indecent exposure investigations that were “doomed to fail”, “apathy and disinterest” from investigating officers, and flawed vetting processes that failed to pick up critical red flags.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: KIM Software’s Debbie Kettle and Gloucestershire Constabulary’s Michele Hurst discuss the challenges that Learning and Development Managers are embracing and the positive outcomes for cultures within police forces.

INTERVIEW: Having had her own battles with anxiety and mental health, Police Scotland’s Sgt Laura Gibson embarked on a Churchill Fellowship study to explore the efforts made by law enforcement agencies in the US to better prepare recruits for the psychological impact of the job, as well as to understand more about why officers do take their own lives – lessons she believes could have real benefits in the UK, as she told Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons.

ANALYSIS: In this second article of a two-part series about the modern ransomware threat, Policing Insight’s James Sweetland examines how law enforcement tries to respond to this challenge and what role policing should play, drawing on exclusive interviews with the National Crime Agency, the National Cyber Security Centre and other experts. 

OPINION: Australia is looking to create a $400 million training facility in Brisbane for Pacific islands police officers, to strengthen the country’s role as the main security partner in the Pacific; but Professor Danielle Watson of the Queensland University of Technology argues that closer partnerships and investing in training provision within the island communities would be a more sustainable and effective option.

INNOVATION: An 18-month sleep, fatigue and recovery biometrics pilot programme run in Merseyside Police by the UK’s National Police Wellbeing Service and Liverpool John Moore’s University has received funding to undertake an evaluation of the benefits of wearable technology, with a view to rolling out a toolkit across the service, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

INNOVATION: In the latest in a series of articles exploring the opportunities and challenges presented to police by the rapid growth of artificial intelligence (AI), Chief Philip Lukens explores the potential for improving officer safety, wellbeing and performance though the use of AI systems to detect fatigue in police drivers.

INTERVIEW: As collaboration between law enforcement agencies becomes increasingly critical to combat cyber threats, Luísa Proença, Deputy National Director of the Portuguese Judicial Police, spoke exclusively to Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth about the importance of research and innovation, and how their participation in the European NOTIONES network is bringing law enforcement agencies together to improve intelligence functions.

King's Birthday Honours: We are pleased to publish and recognise New Zealand and Australian policing recipients of the 2024 King's Birthday Honours. The team at Policing Insight offer our congratulations and thank all the recipients for their service.

OPINION: The Ontario Special Investigations Unit (SIU) is considered to be a pioneer in Canadian police oversight; but University of Guelph Associate Professor Kate Puddister, and Brock University Assistant Professor Danielle McNabb, argue that the SIU’s mandate is too narrow to be effective, and point to alternative approaches which are able to consider all types of complaints against police, as well as reviewing police policy, to prevent misconduct in the first place.

FEATURE: A new series of online ‘wellness cafés’ organised by the Recruitment, Retention and Wellbeing of Investigators sub-group of the National Police Chiefs’ Council is offering wellbeing support to secondary investigators and analysts at risk of traumatic stress and burnout because of the material they handle; Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons spoke to initiative leader Dr Fazeelat Duran and fellow researcher Dr Amy Burrell about the significant and often overlooked risks facing staff.

INSIGHT: Recruiting and training a diverse workforce with the necessary skills and talents remains a particular challenge for policing; Harry Gooding, Director of Skills and Learning at Hays, explains a new apprenticeship approach which focuses on an individual’s transferable skills, motivation and attitude rather than academic qualifications, and includes a 10-week ‘bootcamp’ providing the coaching and learning required to embark on a range of policing careers.

FEATURE: With law enforcement agencies around the world looking to make the best use of volunteers, Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth looks at a EU new report by a group of research projects which has identified a range of measures to leverage the maximum potential from community volunteers in responding to and recovering from major disasters.

ANALYSIS: As political parties in the UK begin their election campaigning in earnest, a Conservative proposal for a new national service scheme – which would include options for young people to undertake their service in ‘civic duties’ including policing – has prompted much debate; Policing Insight’s Ian Wiggett looks at how the scheme might work, what happens elsewhere, and the possible challenges and benefits.

FEATURE: In this penultimate article in the current series of The Police Student focusing on Criminology in Policing, Policing Insight Academic Editor Dr Carina O’Reilly explores control theories, which concentrate not on why an individual is motivated to offend, but what persuades them not to, and what society – and officers – can do to support people to stop offending.

ANALYSIS: In the first in a series of four articles, Policing Insight’s Matthew Wood explores the core characteristics, shaping mechanisms, and perspectives on police culture; by examining both the positive aspects and challenges of police culture, the series aims to provide deeper insights into its impact on everyday policing, and explore pathways for meaningful reform.

OPINION: In a response to an earlier article exploring the strategic direction of Police Scotland, former President of the Association of Scottish Police Superintendents Prof Niven Rennie argues that financial constraint – both in policing and across the public sector – is a key factor in determining the priorities for the force, and calls for support for Chief Constable Jo Farrell’s efforts to navigate these challenges, as well as a more unified public sector approach.

FEATURE: The latest snapshot report from the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission – the independent oversight body for Australia's Victoria Police – has highlighted a dramatic increase in misconduct cases, with predatory behaviour by officers, the misuse of social media, and ‘reach back’ by ex-employees exploiting previous working relationships among the key concerns, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

ANALYSIS: Despite widespread recognition of the importance of local policing in England and Wales, there is very little consistency or consensus around its delivery; a new research project by the Police Foundation will examine variations in local policing approaches, the rationale behind them, their relative strengths and weaknesses, and how different designs can meet future policing challenges, as Research Director Andy Higgins explains.

OPINION: Police in Scotland were among the frontrunners on officer safety training and de-escalation techniques, prompted in part by the tragic on-duty murder of PC Lewis Fulton almost 30 years ago; but Michael Greville, a former long-serving officer who played a key role in developing the officer training programme, believes Police Scotland needs to address a significant gap between training and operational application that leaves officers and the public at risk.

FEATURE: Following recent conferences in the Cayman Islands for the British Overseas Territories (BOTs) Women in Policing Network and the International Association of Women in Police Caribbean region, Victoria Wray of the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit looks at the key topics discussed and the challenges to be addressed.