Research

FEATURE: A new study by researchers from the University of Portsmouth suggests that despite increases in the number of women being promoted to senior posts in policing, structural and cultural barriers mean that in many instances female officers continue to be ‘overlooked and undermined’ in relation to career progression, unless they ‘exhibit qualities which accord with the hegemonic masculine norms of policing’, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

LATEST RESEARCH: This summary curates the key policing-related research that's been published online in the last week, with links to the original journal articles, and selected abstracts.

LATEST RESEARCH: This summary curates the key policing-related research that's been published online in the last week, with links to the original journal articles, and selected abstracts.

ANALYSIS: The requirement for a degree qualification as part of the professionalisation of UK policing is opposed by the Home Secretary and several chief constables, who argue that academic work is too far removed from operational policing; a study by the University of Portsmouth with student officers has found that problem-based learning has the potential to make academic policing more relevant to student police officers by linking theory with practice, as Lecturer in Policing David Knowles explains.

LATEST RESEARCH: This summary curates the key policing-related research that's been published online in the last week, with links to the original journal articles, and selected abstracts.

FEATURE: With the UK’s continuing participation in the Horizon Europe EU research programme still unresolved, the signing of a new agreement between the European Commission and New Zealand last week means that NZ police innovators and researchers will now have access to an innovation programme with a budget of more than €95 billion until 2027, as Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth reports.

ANALYSIS: A series of high-profile instances of police misconduct in recent years (including in the US, the UK, Germany and most recently France) are believed to have damaged trust in policing – but to what extent? Post-doctoral researcher Christof Nägel and Associate Professor Amy Nivette used the latest research techniques to examine how police misconduct impacted public trust, and whether the effect was the same across different communities.

OPINION: In a follow-up to an earlier 2019 study highlighting disproportionate police stops of Black, Indigenous and Arab people in Montreal, a report published in June suggests a new non-discriminatory policy has had little impact; Concordia University Associate Professor Ted Rutland believes the city is abdicating its role of overseeing the police on behalf of the population.

FEATURE: Last year saw the publication in the UK of the national Police Race Action Plan, published jointly by the National Police Chiefs’ Council and the College of Policing, to address racial inequality and injustice in policing; Criminology Lecturer Finley MacDonald explores the plan itself, the challenges arising from the efforts to tackle disproportionality and inequality, and what more needs to be done.

ANALYSIS: Police forces in England and Wales have yet to find a way of resolving low rape charging rates and poor victim experiences, but creating specialist rape investigation units is frequently proposed as part of the solution; Det Ch Supt Phil Sparrow of South Wales Police, and Operation Soteria joint academic lead Professor Katrin Hohl, explore how the Soteria approach to specialism has helped the force climb to the top of rape charging rate table, and discuss why distinguishing between ‘dedicated’ and ‘specialist’ units matters.

ANALYSIS: Research from University of Warwick’s Centre for Operational Police Research (COPR) assesses the benefits and challenges of arts and culture as a means of better police engagement and relationship-building with seldom-heard communities who historically, have had little reason to trust the police, as Dr Rachel Lewis and Professor Jacqueline Hodgson explain.

INTERVIEW: In the latest in a series of interviews with leading figures involved in the research and investigation of organised crime, Policing Insight’s Chris Allen spoke to David Graves, Managing Director of DG Anti-Fraud Consultants, about the role private investigators can play in targeting crime, the need for policing to go ‘back to basics’, and why organised crime can be viewed as a virus.

ANALYSIS: Delays in the police disciplinary process can risk undermining the legitimacy of policing as an institution, and erode public trust; Matthew Wood, a police constable with Toronto Police Service and part-time professor at the Seneca College School of Public Safety, looks at the importance of timeliness in addressing misconduct – highlighted in specific Canadian cases – and what can be done to improve the process.

ANALYSIS: Former detective Carol Ann Kinley-Smith’s menopause journey began while she was still in the job, and she decided to focus on the experiences of policewomen working through their menopause for her Master’s dissertation; in this article she discusses the findings of her research, the challenges women can face in relation to support and understanding, and what steps the service could take to ensure older female officers remain a valued and effective part of the workforce.

FEATURE: Dealing with child sexual abuse material (CSAM) presents enormous psychological challenges, both for those working in police forces and for content moderators employed by tech firms; two new studies, presented at the recent Policing Institute for the Eastern Region (PIER) annual conference, offer surprising findings about the impact of this work – and a common theme for making these roles less harmful, as Policing Insight’s James Sweetland reports.

ANALYSIS: Despite significant advances in addressing the mental health and psychological wellbeing of UK police officers, little progress has been made in considering the issues around police officer suicide; David Marshall, a serving officer with more than 30 years’ experience and part-time policing lecturer and PhD researcher, reveals the findings from the first research to qualitatively explore the factors implicated in the suicidal behaviours of police officers. WARNING: Includes references to suicide and self-harm.

LATEST RESEARCH: This summary curates the key policing-related research that's been published online in the last week, with links to the original journal articles, and selected abstracts.

FEATURE: Automated analytics are increasingly viewed as an essential tool for keeping the public safe from serious harm, but they also create serious risks; a new report from The Alan Turing Institute presents a framework to help policing – and the security services – deploy analytics in a way that protects both privacy and public safety, as Policing Insight’s James Sweetland reports.

LATEST RESEARCH: This summary curates the key policing-related research that's been published online in the last week, with links to the original journal articles, and selected abstracts.

INTERVIEW: In the latest in a series of interviews with leading figures involved in the research and investigation of organised crime, Policing Insight’s Chris Allen spoke to former Police Scotland Superintendent Martin Gallagher, now a policing consultant and Associate of the London Policing College, about Baroness Casey’s review, taking drug profits away from organised crime, and the importance of eradicating corruption.

LONG READ: As policing globally faces significant challenges around effective responses to those in mental health crises, Western Australia Sgt Glen Blackwell, the force’s first Mental Health Co-Response Trainer, received a Churchill Fellowship award to establish diversionary practices for mentally and intellectually disabled persons engaging police; this long-read article, based on his final report to the Churchill Trust, explores international best practice, and makes recommendations for police in Australia that could also benefit other forces.

ANALYSIS: Forced marriage affects millions of people around the world from many different cultures, and forced marriage protection orders (FMPOs) were introduced in England and Wales to prevent such crimes; but new research by Prof Sundari Anitha and Prof Aisha K Gill shows that the legal tools currently available fall seriously short of protecting victims of forced marriage from further abuse.

LATEST RESEARCH: This summary curates the key policing-related research that's been published online in the last week, with links to the original journal articles, and selected abstracts.

FEATURE: Following the statement by Police Scotland Chief Constable Sir Iain Livingstone that the force is “institutionally racist and discriminatory”, a new report finds that the culture in Scotland’s single force is plagued by misogyny and sexism – with female staff paying the price, as Policing Insight’s James Sweetland reports.