Policy and practice

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.

INTERVIEW: As a number of cities across the US attempt to deal with an apparent rise in violent crime, Policing Insight’s Christine Townsend spoke to Prof Michael Smith of the University of Texas at San Antonio who, with colleagues from UTSA and in collaboration with the leadership and officers of Dallas PD, has developed an evidence-based plan to target violent crime that is already delivering results for the city.

FEATURE: Following a pioneering trial in 2013, nine UK police forces currently operate the Project CARA (Cautioning and Relationship Abuse) intervention scheme; now a new evaluation of the project highlighting 80% reductions in reoffending and more than a million pounds in economic benefits has prompted calls for a national rollout, as Policing Insight’s Keith Potter reports.

OPINION: Chinese efforts to secure a deal with the Pacific islands that includes security matters such as training police have caused concern among policymakers across the region; but Dr John Coyne, head of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s Northern Australia Strategic Policy Centre, believes the long and strong policing ties between the islands and their colleagues in Australia and New Zealand will prove durable in the face of China’s open chequebook.

OPINION: The global response to the Covid pandemic highlighted that in many countries, public health and law enforcement have operated in silos for far too long; Professor Nick Crofts, Executive Director of the Global Law Enforcement and Public Health Association, explores the ever-closer coupling of public health and policing, including a forthcoming forum organised to champion their convergence.

INNOVATION: With UK police forces looking increasingly to digital channels to expand and enhance public contact and service delivery, Suffolk Assistant Chief Constable Rob Jones shares an innovative project offering a live chat service for victims of domestic abuse that has improved accessibility and consistency, strengthened support and generated the potential for richer evidence to support prosecutions.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: PIER22 is a FREE major policing conference focusing on child protection. It is the first time that speakers involved in leading and overseeing national child protection reviews will be seen and heard together in one session, discussing violence against women and girls, the voice of the victim and multi-agency safeguarding arrangements.

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.

INTERVIEW: The extensive and in some cases excessive searches of victims’ mobile phones and medical records in rape and serious sexual assault cases have reportedly prompted many victims to withdraw from the prosecution process; Policing Insight’s Christine Townsend spoke to UK Information Commissioner John Edwards about his report published today, which sets out new parameters and guidelines on the gathering and use of digital evidence from victims.

FEATURE: Following the mass shooting in Munich in 2016 in which nine people died and thirty six were injured, the Bavarian Police began to examine ways of enhancing their digital radio communications to include visual information.

OPINION: The Police Race Action Plan for England and Wales was published this week. British Transport Police Chief Constable Lucy D'Orsi explains what needs to happen to ensure the plan brings about meaningful and sustainable change.

POLICING FRIENDSHIP TOUR: Demands have grown but tackling them is so complex that it is undermining common-sense policing, West Midlands Chief Constable Sir David Thompson QPM tells Policing Insight and PolicingTV Publisher Bernard Rix who met Sir David for a walk-and-talk as part of his Policing Friendship Tour across the British Isles and around the world, meeting people across the spectrum of policing.

ANALYSIS: Last week, the Home Secretary announced that volunteer police officers in England and Wales will be authorised to carry Taser, but is it the right move and will it happen? Policing Insight's Contributing Editor Tina Orr Munro reports.

FEATURE: Should the role of policing be confined to that of a crimefighter? Or should it be more broadly defined? As part of his work on the Strategic Review of Policing, Director of the Police Foundation Rick Muir explores the idea of the police having a 'generalist response function' and whether this could work in practice.

FEATURE: Family violence, bullying, social anxiety and Covid are just some of the factors contributing to a significant truancy problem in New Zealand; the NZ Police Association recently reported on a joint operation that has seen a simple knock on the front door of houses reopening the doors to education for hundreds of children in South Auckland.

FEATURE: With funding increases partially ringfenced for recruitment, more budgetary pressure is on the horizon for UK policing; Neil Amos and Richard Davis of PA Consulting spoke to a panel of police and crime commissioners and former and serving police leaders to discuss what could be done to build better partnerships with the private sector, and drive efficiencies and improved services.

FEATURE: With policing under ever-increasing scrutiny over the use of force, a new programme launched by America’s Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is looking to improve understanding among the media and the public about law enforcement use-of-force policies and the split-second decisions officers may need to take, as Policing Insight’s Christine Townsend reports.

FEATURE: The risks around the use of anti-harm suits to prevent custody detainees from ripping material for self-harming have been highlighted in the UK both by inspectorates and the College of Policing; now a new pilot is underway in Dyfed-Powys to identify alternatives to the suits, as well as establish greater consistency around their use, as Ashley Bertie, CEO of the Independent Custody Visiting Association explains.

FEATURE: Greater use of data analytics in policing could offer significant opportunities to reduce crime, but the increased adoption of such technology is not without challenges; John Salt, CEO and co-founder of data recruitment specialists Only Data Jobs, explores some of the potential benefits of the new technology, as well as examples where law enforcement is already reaping the benefits.

FEATURE: As movements of migrants and refugees across European borders reaches new levels in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, ensuring border security while protecting refugees and preserving human rights has become increasingly difficult; Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth reports on the latest EU funding for police and security projects that will help countries to meet those complex challenges.

OPINION: With police resources regularly overstretched, many officers voice concerns that they don’t have enough time to spend with victims to deliver a better service and improve satisfaction rates; but Police Foundation Associate Malcolm Hibberd argues that what officers can say in 30 seconds or less has a major impact on a crime victim’s experience of policing.

ANALYSIS: Following Canada’s legalisation of cannabis, some cities are now looking to decriminalise personal possession of all illegal drugs, as a public health-driven response to the country’s opioid overdose crisis; Policing Insight’s Keith Potter looks at the background to the proposals, the qualified support from police chiefs such as Toronto’s James Ramer, and how the drug enforcement landscape is shifting.

ANALYSIS: Established in 2017, the police super-complaint process allows designated bodies to raise concerns about policing practices which harm the public; policing expert Ben Twomey takes an in-depth look at the impact the new process could have, and also explores how the Criminal Justice Alliance super-complaint against s60 stop and searches has developed.

OPINION: UK policing budgets remain under pressure, and spend on IT often takes the hit; but Simon Hall, CEO of police digital mobility platform PoliceBox, believes that approaching expenditure on Software-as-a-Service and cloud platforms as an operational rather than capital cost could overcome the budget barriers while also improving forces’ technological capabilities.