Policy and practice

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.

ANALYSIS: The recent State of Policing report presented by HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary Sir Tom Winsor was his last in the role; Policing Insight’s Ian Wiggett looks back at what has changed during his decade in post, and what will need to change moving forwards to secure the strategic improvements in UK policing that both the police and public are looking for.

ANALYSIS: Increasing police numbers can reduce crime rates, yet England and Wales have one of the lowest officer-population ratios in Europe; with crime likely to become increasingly complex, Social Market Foundation Senior Researcher Richard Hyde calls on police and policymakers to invest further in workforce recruitment, to contain and reduce the current high levels of crime.

FEATURE: A new report from the House of Lords Justice and Home Affairs Committee has called for more governance and scrutiny of technology in the UK justice system, amid concerns that the lack of standards and transparency over the police use of artificial intelligence threatens human rights and civil liberties, as Policing Insight’s Keith Potter reports.

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OPINION: HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary in Scotland, Gill Imery QPM, leaves her post tomorrow (1 April) after four years leading HMICS; Mrs Emery, who will be succeeded by Craig Naylor (currently Deputy Director of Investigations at the National Crime Agency), shared her reflections on the challenges and achievements for the Inspectorate and Police Scotland during a tumultuous period of policing globally.

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FEATURE: The burden of mental health callouts on police across New Zealand could be significantly reduced if a multi-agency response model that has proven successful during trials in Wellington is approved – and funded – for use across all Police districts, as Ellen Brook of the New Zealand Police Association explains.

FEATURE: Metrics to quantify ‘success’ in UK policing have changed considerably over the past three decades, with an early focus on the volume of crime recorded and detected replaced with targeting those crimes causing the most harm; in this latest article in Policing Insight’s Police Student series, Academic Editor Dr Carina O’Reilly explores the various performance measurement approaches, and why public confidence should be equally crucial in shaping policing priorities.

INTERVIEW: A new early intervention system adopted by Dallas PD can highlight those officers who need more support and training to improve their performance; Deputy Chief Catrina Shead spoke to Policing Insight’s Christine Townsend about the system, as well as current recruitment challenges, and why experience and observation are as important as education.

FEATURE: In his final State of Policing assessment, Chief Inspector of Constabulary Sir Tom Winsor – who leaves the HMICFRS at the end of this month – has praised the efforts of officers and staff, but highlighted significant concerns including the fragility of the 43-force model in England and Wales, the urgent need to restore public confidence, and compromises required between funding and public expectations, as Policing Insight’s Keith Potter reports.

INTERVIEW: Once a hotbed of 1970s counterculture, Austin in Texas has a reputation as a progressive, fast-changing city, with all the policing challenges that a modern urban environment brings; Policing Insight’s Christine Townsend spoke to Austin Police Department Chief Joseph Chacon about meeting those challenges – including recruitment, community safety and racial inequality – and his own style of leadership.

OPINION: As a global leader in online safety, Australia was the natural destination for European Commission delegates looking to learn more and share best practice around online regulation and child protection ahead of introducing new European legislation; Julie Inman Grant, Australia’s eSafety Commissioner, believes the visit marked a watershed moment of international collaboration in the fight against online child sexual exploitation.

ANALYSIS: As global police leaders gather in Dubai for the World Police Summit, and with international attention focused on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Dr Victoria Herrington, Director Knowledge at the Australian Institute of Police Management (AIPM), explores what the institution of policing stands for, why it needs to care about what’s happening in Ukraine, and what we could and should be doing to promote a shared responsibility for public safety.

FEATURE: The final report of the Strategic Review of Policing in England and Wales calls for radical change and a fundamental redesign to create a service that can keep pace with the public safety demands of the 21st century; Police Foundation Director Rick Muir, who led the organisation’s work on the Review, sets out the key steps he believes the service needs to take to meet the capacity, capability and organisational challenges of the future.

FEATURE: When a police officer behaves in a way that harms individuals, colleagues and the community they service, it’s important that others intervene as early as possible to ensure those actions and attitudes don’t escalate; former Scottish police officer and active bystander trainer Graham Goulden explains the thinking behind the approach, and what forces need to be doing to equip officers with effective intervention skills.

FEATURE: KOPS – Keeping Our People Supported – is a new app launched by An Garda Síochána to provide around-the-clock support for officers and staff as well as the wider force family; Alison Keogh of the force’s Strategic Transformation Office talked to Policing Insight Deputy Editor Sarah Gibbons about the importance of making advice and support services accessible, anonymous, and relevant to a wide range of issues.

ANALYSIS: The combination of a rapidly growing population and historically low staffing levels means that officers within Toronto Police Service (TPS) face increased risk of stress, physical and mental injury, and struggle to deliver the best service to the city’s community; to help address those challenges, Toronto Police Association (TPA) has been working with TPS to analyse officer workloads and identify improved alternative shift patterns, as TPA President Jon Reid explains.

ANALYSIS: While recruitment and retention challenges have been the focus for many police forces around the world, the lack of female representation in US law enforcement has become a mounting concern; Policing Insight’s Christine Townsend spoke to current and former officers as well as other criminal justice stakeholders working hard – and in many cases drawing on their own experiences – to address that gender imbalance.

ANALYSIS: As investigations of poor behaviour by UK politicians and police highlight a perceived decline of standards in public life, efforts are underway across the EU to ensure that the use of artificial intelligence and machine-learning technologies within security and law enforcement is compatible with upholding the seven principles of public life, as Policing Insight’s Andy Staniforth reports.

FEATURE: Sir Michael Barber, Chair of the Strategic Review of Policing, has warned that the police’s ability to “do the basics” is being severely hampered by its role in responding to a range of “effectively social problems” such as mental health and missing persons – with confidence in police suffering as a result, as Keith Potter reports.

OPINION: Former Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Sir Peter Fahy believes that many of the ‘reforms’ of policing over the past 20 years – including the introduction of PCCs and the College of Policing, and the closure of the Police Leadership College – have weakened the service’s ability to develop long-term strategies or a professional independent voice, and failed to address the deeply embedded issues of misogyny and racism in police culture.

OPINION: The timing of the recent resignation of Metropolitan Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick surprised many, but the damage done to public trust by a series of controversies over the previous 15 months meant the decision was far from a shock; Mark Cooper, who developed and ran the first PEEL Police Legitimacy inspections for what is now HMICFRS, explains why – and what the next Met Commissioner can do to restore confidence in the force.

FEATURE: As the search gets underway for the next Commissioner of London’s Metropolitan Police, Policing Insight Contributor Gareth Bryon takes a look at the appointment of Keechant Sewell as the very first black female Commissioner of the NYPD, and how her appointment – and the politics of policing in New York – have highlighted the volatile arena in which she will work.