Policy and practice

INNOVATION: Four years ago Dubai Police launched its first Smart Police Station (SPS) driven by artificial intelligence (AI), as part of the force’s wider Strategic Plan for the use of AI: Dr Jorge Román and Khalifa Al Room of Dubai Police explain the reasoning behind the development of the SPS, how it works, and the impact it has already had on interaction between the police and the community.

FEATURE: This month a trial began in Belgium of 23 people accused of involvement in the human smuggling ring that led to the deaths of 39 Vietnamese migrants in a lorry in the UK in 2019; with such high-profile cases making modern slavery an ever-more visible crime – and the subject of significant government funding – Policing Insight’s Chris Allen takes a closer look at how law enforcement is tackling the issue.

FEATURE: December’s London Rape Review highlighted that just 1% of rape cases in the capital are reaching the courts, with significant increases in the number of victims withdrawing within the first 30 days of an investigation; Policing Insight Deputy Editor Sarah Gibbons explores the findings of the Review, the concerns highlighted by London Victims’ Commissioner Claire Waxman, and the recommendations made to improve the service to victims.

ANALYSIS: The rapid advancement of new technology is creating a range of potential uses and applications in law enforcement settings, as well as mounting public and community concern around the ethical use of tech; in this article Inspector Carla Gilmore, Manager - Emergent Technologies for New Zealand Police, explains how the force is creating new policies and frameworks to ensure emerging technology is used safely and responsibly.

ANALYSIS: Disruption methods are vital in combatting child sexual abuse, with the potential to immediately interrupt contact between a suspect and a child, and help stop further abuse in the longer term; now new research by the UK’s Centre of expertise on child sexual abuse has highlighted the steps that can be taken to improve disruption efforts, as the Centre’s Senior Research and Evaluation Officer Dr Diana Parkinson explains.

OPINION: Although calls for police reform have reduced since the jailing of Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd, the issues that prompted those calls have not gone away; but Associate Professor Angela Workman-Stark of Athabasca University believes that creating alternative sustainable development goals and metrics for policing – rather than defunding agencies – could achieve the desired change.

POLICING FRIENDSHIP TOUR: With carbon footprints and sustainability high on the agenda for law enforcement agencies, Jersey Police Chief Officer Robin Smith believes the Crown Dependency force could be the first in the UK to run a fully electric fleet, as he explained to Policing Insight Publisher Bernard Rix on a recent leg of the Policing Friendship Walking Tour.

INNOVATION: Artificial intelligence and machine learning have the potential to revolutionise identification processes for law enforcement; but if they are to be reliable and trusted, those commissioning their use must ensure concerns around gender dimension bias have been addressed from the outset, says Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth.

POLICING FRIENDSHIP TOUR: World Health Organization Policing Consultant Professor Karl Roberts believes forces responded “incredibly well” to the pandemic, but should build closer relationships with public health agencies to improve the response to future challenges, as he explained to Policing Insight Publisher Bernard Rix on a recent leg of the Policing Friendship Walking Tour.

LONG READ: The death of George Floyd shone the spotlight strongly on police use of force, but many police services and departments had already recognised concerns and were attempting to address the issue; however, the lack of data on the effectiveness of training in areas such as de-escalation have left it difficult to identify what works and why, as Policing Insight Contributing Editor Tina Orr-Munro reports.

ANALYSIS: Europe’s migrant crisis took a tragic turn this month, with the death of 27 people attempting to cross the Channel from France to the UK; with a significant rise in illegal EU border crossings over the past two years, the Frontex agency has found itself increasingly in the frontline of a political and humanitarian crisis, which has brought its own challenges for the organisation, as Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth reports.

INTERVIEW: Police can easily find themselves on the wrong end of a social media storm, either from online trolls or as a result of edited footage; but for recently appointed West Mercia Chief Constable Pippa Mills, Twitter provides an opportunity to engage with the public, praise staff and support colleagues, as she explained to Policing Insight Deputy Editor Sarah Gibbons.

INNOVATION: Investigating domestic abuse takes up a significant proportion of police time and resources, yet successful prosecutions and criminal convictions remain at an unacceptably low level; Simon Franc, Founder and CEO of Anatomap, believes a new free app can empower victims of domestic abuse and other violent offences to improve the quality of evidence in such cases, leading to better outcomes for both victims and police.

FEATURE: The increasing use of drones in conflict situations by military and terrorists organisations has also served to highlight the threat posed to public safety more widely, and police are likely to be in the frontline response to that threat; Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth looks at the legislative and regulatory framework put in place to enable officers to tackle the drone danger.

FEATURE: Against a background of major inequality based on geography, gender, ethnicity, disability and faith, Pakistan remains a country with significant ties to the UK, and a diaspora of 1.7 million Pakistani residents across the country look to the UK Government for leadership in developing systems for a future when Pakistan no longer needs British support: Policing Insight contributor Gareth Bryon takes a look at some of the work that has taken place in support of criminal justice by the UK in recent years.

ANALYSIS: Last month the Australian Border Force and Australian Federal Police seized 450kgs of heroin from a shipping container in Melbourne; but the huge seizure should be seen as a sign that the approach focused on policing and criminal justice is not working, as well as an indication of the scale of the challenge facing the country’s fight against narcotics, explains Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) analyst Dr Teagan Westendorf.

OPINION: While policing in the UK has made steps towards improving gender inclusion, the primary carer role often taken on by women means many are forced to sacrifice their careers because of a lack of flexibility in the workplace; Devon and Cornwall Police Chief Superintendent Jim Gale believes a more sensible approach to part-time and hybrid working and increased opportunities for job sharing could help the service improve female inclusion at all ranks.

Round-table: Representatives from UK policing, stakeholders and suppliers praised the “miracle job” done by the service in response to the pandemic, and urged police leaders and the Government to ensure the momentum of transformational IT change continues post-Covid, as they debated the key policing ICT issues at a round-table discussion organised by Policing Insight Events in association with Virgin Media Business.

OPINION: UK policing has been under intense scrutiny in recent weeks – particularly in the wake of Sarah Everard’s murder, and the focus on misogyny and violence against women and girls – and the service’s efforts to put out the right message have often fallen short; in this opinion piece Policing Insight’s Christine Townsend, a specialist in crisis communications, urges forces to recognise the power of language and gain a better understanding of their audience.

OPINION: While there was a familiar ring to much of the UK Government’s recently unveiled ‘Beating Crime Plan’, continuing pressure on resources (both human financial) means delivering a new-look local policing approach is still a major challenge; Steve Ainsworth, Executive Director of NEC Software Solutions UK, believes technology can lead to more effective targeting of offences and offenders, and give young-in-service officers the vital knowledge they need to succeed.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: With the fast pace that a crisis can unfold in the digital age, emergency service heroes can quickly become villains during the aftermath, leaving you to rebuild the pieces of your reputation.

ANALYSIS: A recent report from the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime highlighted that while success in countering organised crime relies on international co-operation, countries were increasingly turning to national solutions; Policing Insight's Chris Allen looks at the crime-fighting scenarios suggested by the report, and how likely they are to be adopted by countries around the world.

FEATURE: Amid concerns that officers experiencing the mental health impact of critical firearms incidents were not receiving enough ‘return to work’ support, New Zealand Police have a adopted a peer-led approach to post-incident reintegration; Dr Anna Sutton of the University of Waikato explained to delegates at the recent Australia and New Zealand Society of Evidence-Based Policing (ANZSEBP) Conference how ongoing research to evaluate the programme could help to improve reintegration for affected officers.

POLICING FRIENDSHIP TOUR: National Police Chiefs’ Council Chair Martin Hewitt believes UK policing is facing a defining challenge in relation to public trust and confidence – one which will require officers and organisations to listen to and learn from those who experience prejudice – as he explained to Policing Insight Publisher Bernard Rix on a recent leg of the Policing Friendship Walking Tour.