Policy and practice

FEATURE: The UK Government’s long-awaited white paper on police reform in England and Wales, published today, sets out proposals for the creation of a new National Police Service with responsibility for serious and organised crime, counter-terrorism and setting national standards, a move away from the 43-force model to fewer regional forces, the introduction of a ‘licence to practise’ for officers, and powers for the Home Secretary to sack under-preforming chief constables, reports Policing Insight’s Keith Potter.

FEATURE: Legislation that lets people learn about their partners’ abuse histories has been introduced in a number of countries, including the UK, Australia, New Zealand and Canada, but the schemes have mixed results globally; while some struggle with resources and bureaucracy, others, such as South Australia’s successful scheme, achieve high victim satisfaction through specialist support, and are heralded as life-saving.

OPINION: With the UK Government’s police reform white paper finally emerging, police leadership is once again due to come under the spotlight; police ethics advisor Montell Neufville, and Kimberley C. Lamb, Director of Legitimacy and Public Service for Bedfordshire Police, set out why this opportunity to create a new leadership model for policing, widen the talent pool, and introduce diverse, standardised, independent selection panels, could strengthen leadership legitimacy and professionalism while building greater public and internal trust.

FEATURE: A new report into the impact of ‘Gen Z’ and ‘Gen Alpha’ on the criminal landscape is warning that, with the use of technology by digital natives of coming generations reshaping crime itself, the gap between younger people’s experience the world and how authorities try to police it will only widen, meaning law enforcement will need to evolve just as fast, or “risk irrelevance”, reports Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons.

ANALYSIS: As UK policing continues to wait expectantly for a new white paper, in the second of two articles on police reform organisational psychologist Michael Stephenson takes a closer look at other elements of the ‘Performance Paradox’ – including the technology trap, and the case for national capability – and sets out 10 provocations to challenge conventional reform thinking, in the hope that policing achieve real and sustainable change for victims and officers.

FEATURE: With someone reported missing every 90 seconds in the UK, missing persons enquiries are a significant demand on police forces and other support organisations, and can include complex concerns around vulnerability, abduction, and transnational investigations; Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth looks at the work of Interpol in supporting international searches, and new European research funding streams to help develop tools and methods to improve those cross-border investigations.

OPINION: The recently published Metropolitan Police report into vetting failures highlights a wider potential “perfect storm” for good officers, warns former police superintendent Martin Gallagher, now an author and terrorism expert, as the dangers of working alongside colleagues who should not be in the service, the risks of corruption, and a lack of strong leadership leave them doing an increasingly difficult job in the face of growing hostility from the public.

FEATURE: The Government’s recently announced new strategy for tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG) calls for the issue to become a “defining measure of policing standards and trust”, with plans to use tactics already deployed in the fight against organised crime and terrorism to address VAWG, alongside new technology and laws; but campaign groups and service providers have already voiced fears over the funding to implement the strategy, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

ANALYSIS: Policing in the UK is currently waiting expectantly for the soon-to-be-published police reform white paper; in the first of a two-part article on reform – and why bigger isn’t better, culture trumps structure, and technology won’t save us without transformation – organisational psychologist Michael Stephenson explores the performance myths that need to be dispelled, the real story from the PEEL assessment data, and why Positive Deviance methodology could be crucial for police reform.

OPINION: The controversial killing of Renee Nicole Good by an ICE agent in Minneapolis has prompted widespread criticism after it was confirmed the 37-year-old mother was shot in her car; Penn State University Assistant Professor Ben Jones highlights that the tactic of shooting at suspects in moving vehicles has been prohibited in use-of-force policies adopted by many US police forces – both to prioritize the protection of human life, and for the safety of officers themselves.

INNOVATION: As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes both increasingly exploited by criminals and dishonest actors, and offers significant opportunities for law enforcement, Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth explores the latest European efforts to leverage AI in the fight against the growing levels of disinformation – much of which can lead to actions and events requiring a policing response.

OPINION: Law enforcement agencies with “good policies” often continue to get bad outcomes; experienced officer Keith F. Lazaron II, who currently serves with the West Kittanning Police Department in Pennsylvania, explains why policy (what an agency sets out as its standard for behavior) almost always loses out to culture (what officers know gets tolerated) – and what good leaders should be doing to ensure policy and culture align more closely.

INNOVATION: A new report from the charity JUSTICE into international lessons on the policing use of artificial intelligence (AI) and how these can be applied to the UK has called for the creation of an independent central body to set minimum standards for the use of AI in policing and act as a repository of good practice, in an effort to remove inconsistencies created by the 43-force structure in England and Wales, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

FEATURE: With more than 60 presenters from police forces around the world, November’s Australia New Zealand Policing Advisory Agency (ANZPAA) Police Conference 2025 explored the core question of what matters most in policing; and while artificial intelligence, technology and digital transformation were all high on the agenda, it was clear that the overriding focus was on putting people at the centre of policing.

FEATURE: With 2025 seeing some of the most disruptive cyberattacks in recent history, Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth explores the likely challenges for the 12 months ahead, and the threats and opportunities posed by the increasing evolution of artificial intelligence (AI) which will trust and resilience becoming key themes in cyber security.

INTERVIEW: Following the recent first UK national conference on faith and belief in policing, Chief Constable Rachel Kearton, the NPCC Race, Religion & Belief Portfolio Lead, and the Reverend Matthew Hopley, National Police Chaplain, spoke to Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons about the importance of ensuring the faiths and beliefs of police personnel are brought “into the open” so that officers and staff can live their “authentic” lives.

FEATURE: As law enforcement around the world prepares to face the challenges of 2026, Editor Keith Potter looks back over the key issues Policing Insight covered in 2025 – from structural reform and the approaches to ongoing and evolving crime threats, to workforce wellbeing, the opportunities from artificial intelligence and new technology, and leadership insights – and how these may affect the next 12 months.

OPINION: Recent horrific attacks in Australia and the UK have brought the threat from terrorists back firmly into the public spotlight; research by Dr Sara Fregonese of the University of Birmingham and Dr Paul Simpson of the University of Plymouth suggests that what the UK public fears and assumes about terrorism threats is quite different from reality, with perceptions from culturally diverse demographic groups showing significant variations.

FEATURE: Scottish Biometrics Commissioner Dr Brian Plastow has set out a four-year strategic plan featuring priorities on public reassurance and code of practice compliance – and which also includes provision for thematic reviews on fingerprints, evidence from body-worn cameras, and retrieving of data from electronic devices – against a backdrop of “exponential growth” in biometrics and databases, and the associated privacy, human-rights, and equality considerations, reports Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons.

FEATURE: A recent report on police performance in England and Wales, published by the Institute for Government, highlights the “ballooning volumes” of digital evidence and more administrative work being undertaken by officers, and the damaging impact on chiefs officers’ ability to set local priorities amid the continuing delays in publishing the plans for police reform, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

OPINION: With UK police forces under growing pressure to increase efficiency and productivity, Darren Nicholas, Assistant Director of Criminal Justice Services at UK social justice charity Cranstoun, looks at the potential for more effective use of out-of-court resolutions – particularly when combined with technology – to save police and criminal justice resources while improving outcomes for offenders and communities.

FEATURE: A new report from Europol’s Innovation Lab on the impact of robotics and unmanned systems on law enforcement highlights the range of new threats posed by technology such as drones and robots generating new types and patterns of crime, as well as the potential for policing to leverage such technology to respond to many of the key criminal challenges, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

FEATURE: The recent maiden public speech from the new Chief of MI6, Blaise Metreweli – the first female head of the Service – highlighted the challenges around state actors operating in the ‘grey zone’ to pose a risk to the UK’s security and stability; Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth looks at the nature of those threats, including drones and cyber-attacks, and the role MI6 and policing will need to play in countering them.

INTERVIEW: Having recently taken up his new role as CEO of the Australia New Zealand Policing Advisory Agency (ANZPAA), Carl McLennan spoke to Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons about the importance of sharing and collaboration at regional, national and international levels, the threats and opportunities presented by new technology, and the need to ensure that the frontline are fully engaged with new developments and innovative thinking.