Policy

OPINION: Even before COVID-19, the next UK Comprehensive Spending Review was set to be a crucial moment for police funding; but as West Midlands Chief Constable Dave Thompson QPM explains, the future of policing is about much more than budgets, with greater accountability, improved public trust and a clearer understanding of local delivery among the key issues.

OPINION: In the wake of the killing of George Floyd in America, further deaths and injuries to members of the public following police use of force have led to major protests and campaigns for police reform around the world, including Canada; but Professor Temitope Oriola of the University of Alberta argues that achieving reform requires pressure on politicians rather than policing.

OPINION: The debate over whether police forces should be ‘defunded’ – or funding reallocated to alternative community resources – has continued on both sides of the Atlantic; police ethics adviser Montell Neufville believes it’s important to understand the existing police and community criminal justice funding landscape, before considering the alternatives.