FEATURE: Research has shown that divorce rates among police officers are consistently higher than in the general population; Certified Divorce Coach Dr Sue Palmer-Conn warns that the consequences of higher divorce rates impact not only on individuals but also on law enforcement organisations more widely and the communities they serve, and suggests measures agencies can take to address the issue.

OPINION: The recent disorder and political violence across the UK has seen increased levels of fear among many migrant communities, as well as reduced access to services and support networks; Liverpool John Moores University Policing Lecturer James Williams believes that policing has an important role to play in reassuring those communities, as well as building relationships and improving engagement with marginalised groups.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: Explore the key challenges and solutions in the recruitment, career progression and retention of female staff, including tackling the additional barriers facing women with further protected characteristics.

ANALYSIS: While a recent raise in the terror threat level has increased awareness among Australians about the domestic terror threat, John Coyne and Justin Bassi of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) warn that Australia’s diminishing role in international counter-terrorism (CT), coupled with uncertainty over CT responsibility and resources at government level, is exposing Australian citizens to greater risk.

ANALYSIS: Despite recent negative media headlines and a lack of recognition from politicians and campaigners, evidence shows that diversion and out-of-court resolutions in the UK are usually more effective than court sanctions in reducing offending; Fionnuala Ratcliffe, Research and Policy Lead for Transform Justice, explains how and why out-of-court resolutions are used, and invites forces to take part in new research on the issue.

FEATURE: Crucial to defending the UK against the threat of terrorist attack has been the relationship between policing and the Security Service, a unique collaboration that has existed for more than a century and that as a counter-terrorism approach is the envy of many other countries, as Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth explains.

INTERVIEW: Former Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner and National Police Chief’s Council Lead for Counter-Terrorism Policing Neil Basu QPM is one of the country’s most outspoken former senior cops; in the first of a three-part interview series with Policing Insight’s James Sweetland, he called on the new Government to “bin the 43-force model”, argued that the police and crime commissioner (PCC) model has proven a “disaster”, and talked about the “embarrassing deficit” in leadership training for future top cops.

ANALYSIS: New research by Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) based on interviews with more than 40 investigators across five forces in England and Wales has highlighted the lack of experience and mentoring, high workload, and unequal rewards facing detectives, leaving officers frustrated and victims receiving a poorer service, as LJMU Research Director Dr Adrian James told Policing Insight’s Ian Weinfass.

FEATURE: A new report from the Youth Endowment Fund has highlighted worrying levels of knife crime and violence involving children, despite overall falls in other areas of crime; the organisation is now calling on the Government and others in the criminal justice system to prioritise support and diversionary approaches for arrested children, which are proven to have more effective outcomes than going to court, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

FEATURE: A recent conference focusing on sexual offending, vulnerability and policing saw calls for senior police and academics to take a “pracademic” approach to child sexual exploitation, described as a “public health crisis” for the current generation of children and young people, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

ANALYSIS: Trust in politics and public bodies has decreased in many countries over recent years, and the UK is no exception; but new research has highlighted that trust in British institutions – particularly policing – among ‘Generation Z’ (those born between 1997 and 2012) is significantly lower in the UK than in other countries studied, as Dr Paolo Morini, Research Fellow at the King’s College London Policy Institute, explains.

ANALYSIS: Fraud makes up nearly 40% of all crime in England and Wales, but fewer than 1% of cases result in a conviction. With the National Fraud Strategy more than a year old and a new government in place at Westminster, Ian Weinfass spoke to experts to find out whether it is time for action against fraudsters to be stepped up.

ANALYSIS: Following a series of highly critical reports, Canada’s Public Safety Minister recently announced the separation of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police’s (RCMP) federal policing portfolio from its contract policing responsibilities; Policing Insight’s Matthew Wood looks at the country’s complex policing structure, challenges currently facing the force, and what the changes could mean for the RCMP.

ANALYSIS: The public disorder that took place across cities and towns in the UK at the start of August was the worst seen for several years, and prompted concerns over the police ability to respond, and the tactics employed; Policing Insight’s Graham Wettone, a former police officer and a subject matter expert on public order and protest groups, looks at the events of the past month, the evolution of public order policing, and what other options may be available to forces.

ANALYSIS: Although police departments across the United States have taken steps in recent years to improve relations with the LGBTQ community, new research suggests that LGBTQ people experience more mistreatment by police, have lower levels of trust in law enforcement, and are less likely to call for help, than their non-LGBTQ counterparts, says Stefan Vogler, Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

INTERVIEW: After the launch of the first Police Race Action Plan Progress Report, Policing Insight’s Ian Weinfass spoke to Programme Director, Temporary Deputy Assistant Commissioner Dr Alison Heydari, about losing the support of a key staff association, institutional racism, and the future of the race action plan in the face of funding uncertainties.

ANALYSIS: Faced with austerity cuts, the Metropolitan Police opted for a programme of station closures rather than reducing officer numbers; recent research from the Institute for Fiscal Studies suggest the approach has led to more violent crime and lower rates of solved cases and crime reporting, as report author Professor Elisa Facchetti explained to Policing Insight’s James Sweetland.

OPINION: While attempts to tackle the issue of illegal drugs through decriminalisation in the US and Canada have been less than successful, former Police Scotland Superintendent Martin Gallagher argues that as traditional enforcement measures have failed, it’s time for a bolder approach to drug use and consumption, with regulating, legitimising and taxing supply a crucial step towards true change and rehabilitation.

OPINION: With falling trust and confidence in UK policing increasingly a matter for public debate and media headlines, University of Hull Policing Degree Programme Director and former officer Mike McKue looks more closely at the some of the reasons behind the decline, the definitions and differences between the two terms, and what can be done to address the issues.

FEATURE: Crimes in the metaverse may be taking place in a virtual reality, but their impact can be felt in the real world; Griffith University Lecturer Dr Ausma Bernot, Lecturer Dr Kai Lin of the University of Technology Sydney, Charles Sturt University Lecturer Dr Milind Tiwari, and Assistant Lecturer You Zhou of Monash University, explore what ‘metacrimes’ are, and what steps can be taken to tackle them.

ANALYSIS: The continuing and co-ordinated public disorder across the UK has brought renewed calls for more extreme responses from police, including the use of water cannons and turning to the Army; former chief superintendent and specialist in public order policing Owen West, now a Senior Policing Lecturer at Edge Hill University, argues that while those measures may not be effective, there are steps that forces can take to strengthen public order policing in the short to medium term.

ANAYLSIS: A review of stalking in London, carried out by the city’s Victims’ Commissioner, Claire Waxman, describes the response to victims as “woefully inadequate” and calls for legislative reform, increased awareness and training, and updated protocols from police chiefs and prosecutors to improve criminal justice outcomes and support for victims across England and Wales, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

INNOVATION: With the police response to those in mental health crisis coming increasingly under focus, Brunel University’s Amy Everitt, and Dr Cody Porter and Dr Paul Gavin from UWE Bristol, highlight the key elements of a new multi-agency training approach held at Brunel University earlier this year, providing real-world immersive scenarios as well as expert insight for frontline emergency responders.

INTERVIEW: A new campaign by the Naturewatch Foundation is highlighting the link between those who abuse animals and their use of violence against people; former detective inspector Mark Randell the charity’s Campaign Manager, spoke to Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons about the need for training for officers and prosecutors around that link, and the organisation’s efforts to encourage data sharing and raise awareness of the need to consider animal cruelty when investigating other cases.