Research

OPINION: While the Canadian public support efforts to fight crime, Professor Irvin Waller of the University of Ottawa and PhD candidate Jeffrey Bradley of Carleton University argue that current proposals to increase incarceration won’t deliver the desired reductions, and point instead to crime prevention approaches pioneered in Scotland as a more viable option.

INTERVIEW: Following an article in Policing Insight in 2018, Cambridge University PhD Researcher Emily Quin began exploring the idea of the ‘copper’s nose’, and how any policing ‘sixth sense’ could be defined and measured; she spoke to Policing Insight’s Martin Gallagher – author of the original piece – about her work so far, the importance of talking directly to officers, and what the eventual findings could mean for policing.

FEATURE: University of Portsmouth Policing Lecturer David Knowles and Teaching Fellow Claire Smith visited a number of further education colleges near the city to encourage students to apply for the University’s professional policing degree; as well as learning the best ways to engage young people, they also identified some important digital communications lessons for policing.

INNOVATION: Smart devices have revolutionised the way many people interact, but they can also be used to facilitate a wide range of abuse; Andi Brown, criminologist and Cybercrime and Cybersecurity Lecturer at Monash University, argues that there are several steps that could be taken to design safety features that empower victim-survivors, instead of exposing them to risk.

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: In the latest in the new series of The Police Student focusing on Criminology in Policing, Policing Insight Academic Editor Dr Carina O’Reilly explores the left realism crime perspective, including the 'square of crime', the need for greater understanding of the complexity of crime, and the ‘Tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime’ approach pioneered by New Labour.

FEATURE: Among the less visible effects of a decade of UK police funding cuts is the loss of spaces where officers can rest, eat, and talk to each other, a loss that could increase the risks of personal and professional isolation, and damage officer wellbeing; a new study led by Dr Carina O’Reilly (University of Lincoln), Nick Kealey (Liverpool John Moores University) and Dr Sean Bell (Open University) will look at how the provision of rest spaces has changed, and the impact on police officers and their wellbeing – and you can get involved.

INTERVIEW: The ‘degree-entry’ debate can often be too focused on England and Wales, but research from former police officer turned academic Dr Andy Tatnell doesn’t have that problem; his thesis looks at the interesting differences in how Scotland, Sweden and Finland handle the complex work of training up their new frontline cops, as Policing Insight’s James Sweetland reports.

FEATURE: A new report not only highlights the significant increases in wildlife trafficking – described as “off the scale” on some routes – but also the successes of a financial taskforce which is using traditional anti-money laundering and proceeds of crime techniques to target and disrupt offenders and supply chains, 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.

FEATURE: University of Aberdeen Postgraduate Researcher Janine Ewen – a GLEPHA Associate and leading harm reductionist – has wide-ranging academic understanding of policing and vulnerability, as well as extensive lived experience; in this article she shares some of her knowledge and ‘top tips’ for those looking to work more closely in the policing of vulnerable communities.

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 latest statistics for England and Wales indicate that levels of recorded crime have fallen to an all-time low, yet there has been little mention of the significant drop by the media, the Government or forces themselves; in this second of two articles, Policing Insight’s Ian Wiggett considers the implications for how police performance is judged.

FEATURE: In January the Global Law Enforcement & Public Health Association (GLEPHA) published a series of reports as part of the ‘Envisaging the future of policing and public health’ project, covering a range of topics including harm reduction, diversion, and policing mental health; in the sixth in a series of seven articles, Policing Insight’s Thomas James looks at GLEPHA’s report on policing key populations.

ANALYSIS: Last week’s publication of the first part of the Angiolini Inquiry report highlighted significant concerns around misogyny, misconduct, and toxic cultures in policing in England and Wales; the findings echo previous research of female officers’ lived experiences by Senior Criminology Lecturer Dr Emma Cunningham, who believes policing needs support from outside experts to tackle misogyny and misconduct, and that change should begin with acceptance of the terms institutionalised racism and misogyny.

ANALYSIS: The latest statistics for England and Wales indicate that levels of recorded crime have fallen to an all-time low, yet there has been little mention of the significant drop by the media, the Government or forces themselves; in this first of two articles, Policing Insight’s Ian Wiggett looks at the latest crime data and longer-term trends in crime, and why the apparent success in crime reduction remains something of a secret.

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: New research by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and social justice group Equally Ours has found that existing ‘myth-busting’ messaging used to refute rape misconceptions actually reinforces those beliefs; instead researchers have called for a ‘suspect-centric’ and values-based approach across the CPS as well as wider criminal justice organisations including the police, the Law Commission and the Home Office, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

ANALYSIS: Police officers in many jurisdictions are trained to be in a “state of heightened alert” when on patrol, both to detect and prevent crime, and for self-preservation; but Prof Jesse Cheng of DePaul University College of Law in Chicago argues that such an approach can lead officers into “addictive hypervigilance” behaviours which significantly increase the unwarranted use of force.

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: Last month the Global Law Enforcement & Public Health Association (GLEPHA) published a series of reports as part of the ‘Envisaging the future of policing and public health’ project, covering a range of topics including harm reduction, diversion, and policing mental health; in the fifth in a series of seven articles, Policing Insight’s Thomas James looks at GLEPHA’s report on a range of programmes tackling violence against women and girls.

FEATURE: Comments and experiences of the criminal justice system shared by the families of murder victims highlighted some harrowing ordeals; now a new analysis of their stories using an AI-based methodology developed by Professor Jonathan Crego has highlighted key themes and opportunities for greater support and dignity, 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.

INTERVIEW: In the latest in a series of interviews with leading figures involved in the research and investigation of organised crime, Policing Insight’s Dr Chris Allen spoke to Dr Mariola Marzouk, co-founder of trade-based money laundering (TBML) specialists Vortex Risk, about the dangers of failing to understand the practicalities of TBML, going back to the drawing board to tackle money laundering, and why celebrating the successes against ‘stupid’ money launderers is a false reality.