Policing Insight

A multinational flavour to the top of the Policing Insight home page today with insights from Canada, New Zealand and the UK. ➡ Restructuring the RCMP: The future of Canadian policing https://lnkd.in/en9ZHTWA ➡ Survey confirms strong levels of trust and confidence in NZ Police https://lnkd.in/eS4qaGA3 ➡ Is it time for a new UK approach to tackling fraud? https://lnkd.in/eXj9iNsu More global insights here https://lnkd.in/gPqWtm5 #lawenforcement #policing #police #crime

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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. ❝Given the varying community needs that forces must address with limited resources, it isn’t surprising that many chief constables have highlighted to me that they struggle to prioritise the investigation of fraud.❞ - HMCIC Andy Cooke ❝The National Fraud Squad will not raise the proportion of the police workforce working on economic crime much above 1%. Dealing with fraud is labour-intensive and needs large numbers of specialists to tackle it.❞ - Richard Hyde, Senior Researcher, Social Market Foundation ❝Fraud is under-represented and because of that, because when you’re looking at someone that’s bleeding and shouting and then there’s a firearm gone off, it seems a bit more important than someone’s lost five grand.❞ - Police officer, Turning the tide report ❝Despite making up nearly 40% of all crime, fraud is regularly excluded from crime statistics. The report’s authors call for it to be treated as a mainstream crime and not separated out from other types, as the previous Government often did.❞ ❝What we’d like to do is take a step back and think about it more strategically – what are we actually seeing here, how does fraud take shape if we apply statistical models?❞ - Dr Michael Skidmore, The Police Foundation (UK) ❝Can we use the data in new and interesting ways to track frauds, and in conjunction with police data is there a way of tracking fraud online? How can we meaningfully direct all these different types of interventions that police and partners can do?❞ - Dr Michael Skidmore, Police Foundation [SUBSCRIBER ARTICLE] https://lnkd.in/eXj9iNsu #lawenforcement #policing #police #crime #fraud His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) Crest Advisory UK Home Office

The changing nature of the modern terrorist threat has meant that the UK government’s response has also had to evolve; Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth looks at the background to the UK’s CONTEST strategy, it’s political and policing inputs and implications, and how the strategy has evolved to meet that changing threat. ❝The distinction drawn by Cmdr Murphy [Metropolitan Police Commander Dominic Murphy QPM MSt (Cantab) of the UK’s Counter-Terrorism Command (CTC)] between the national strategy for counter-terrorism being set by the government of the day and the operational independence of the police to carry out its duty to protect the public is an important one.❞ ❝Throughout the history of counter-terrorism practice in the UK, collaboration between government departments had been key to the success of many operations, and the intelligence community had learned the value of close co-operation with the police service.❞ ❝An important assumption within CONTEST was that there was no complete defence against contemporary determined terrorists, especially as they continued to develop new ways in which to deliver death and destruction on an unimaginable scale.❞ ❝The recent outbreak of violent disorder across UK town and cities may prove to be a catalyst for change in counter-terrorism policy, practice and procedure, with potential moves to review the definition of extremism.❞ [SUBSCRIBER ARTICLE] https://lnkd.in/eaCh7Kz8 #lawenforcement #policing #police #terrorism #counterterrorism Counter Terrorism Policing

Following a series of highly critical reports, Canada’s Public Safety Minister recently announced the separation of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police | Gendarmerie royale du Canada (RCMP) federal policing portfolio from its contract policing responsibilities; Policing Insight’s Matthew Wood, CD looks at the country’s complex policing structure, challenges currently facing the force, and what the changes could mean for the RCMP. ❝After years of mounting criticism, Canada’s Public Safety Minister has taken a decisive step: announcing the separation of the RCMP’s federal policing portfolio from its contract policing responsibilities.❞ ❝Here, the RCMP’s contract services are often seen as a cost-effective solution, especially for smaller provinces and territories, due to a cost-sharing scheme between provincial and federal governments.❞ ❝The force operates with a budget of approximately CDN $6 billion, of which less than $1 billion is allocated to federal policing – a fact that has raised concerns about the adequacy of resources for national security efforts.❞ ❝Local governments often feel that the RCMP’s standardized approach lacks the flexibility needed to meet specific community needs, leading to dissatisfaction with the force’s accountability and responsiveness.❞ ❝Despite these criticisms, some municipalities remain satisfied with the RCMP’s service, particularly in areas where the force has maintained a strong local presence. However, the ongoing challenges have led others to ditch the RCMP and establish police services of their own.❞ ❝If they just leave the RCMP to enforce federal statutes and get out of contract policing, that would be the best for Canada, for national security, for drug trafficking, and major organized crime.❞ - Former superintendent, RCMP Federal Serious Organized Crime (FSOC) section ❝While Depot [RCMP’s national training academy] prepares recruits for contract policing, the skills required for federal roles – such as drafting complex applications for warrants or cultivating informants – are vastly different and often inadequately covered.❞ ❝Without addressing recruitment, training, union resistance, and operational separation, the risk of resource shifting lingers. Whether the RCMP can overcome these hurdles will determine the long-term impact of this decision on Canada’s largest law enforcement agency.❞ [SUBSCRIBER ARTICLE] https://lnkd.in/en9ZHTWA #lawenforcement #policing #police

Ahead of September’s Global Evidence-Based Policing (EBP) Conference, supported by Policing Insight as media partner, R.Mark Evans OBE, NZ Police Executive Lead for Future Policing and the Vice-President of the ANZ SEBP - Australia and New Zealand Society of Evidence Based Policing , spoke to fellow EBP pioneers about the growth, opportunities and challenges around the approach; in this first of two features, he looks at advice for agencies embarking on EBP, and where should efforts be focused – leaders, front-line officers, or both? ❝I think you need a combination of both. You need authority and enthusiasm from the top, and you need to embrace the entrepreneurial spirit of younger and more junior officers and staff who can really make stuff happen.❞ - T/CC Alex Murray, Chair, UK Society of Evidence Based Policing ❝As leaders, we have to condition our folks to have a higher rate of ambiguity and risk. And I think that’s on us as leaders to explain that and to say, ‘hey, it’s okay to fail – to fail forward and to fail fast’.❞ - Chief Jason Potts, The American Society of Evidence-Based Policing (ASEBP) ❝I’m not saying we need to stop what we’re doing or stop reacting to crime trends; we have to, the community expects us, and that’s our job. But sometimes there is great opportunity to test policing strategies for effectiveness.❞ - Supt David Cowan, President, ANZSEBP ❝I think you do need to focus on both groups; for the front-line workers, it’s very important to make it easier for them to use scientific knowledge to make their work better and more effective.❞ - Valérie P.eeck, Joint Chair, Netherlands Society of Evidence-Based Policing (SEBP-NL) ❝And of course, that is the beauty of evidence-based practice, because when you’ve got a genuine finding – good or bad – you can’t penetrate it with ideology. It just is what it is.❞ - T/CC Alex Murray, Chair, UK Society of Evidence Based Policing https://lnkd.in/ejYsvefZ #lawenforcement #policing #police #evidencebasedpolicing #evidencebasedpractice #gebp2024

Friday Focus: Policing protest and disorder 🔦This week we spotlight a series of articles on Policing Insight that looks at the practical application of public order policing tactics, how powers are used (or should not be used), and the specific operational impact of new or changing legislation. 📢The series includes articles by: ➡️Graham Wettone ➡️Owen West MSt (Cantab) ➡️Ian Wiggett ➡️Peter Joyce and Dr Wendy Laverick ➡️plus an interview with Dr. Bernd Bürger, Bavarian Police Institute of Further Education Explore the series here: https://lnkd.in/eYRhCmVq #lawenforcement #policing #police #publicorder

A successful pilot project using artificial intelligence to support call handlers answering domestic abuse calls in Humberside Police – which increased both officer and public safety, improved evidence and reduced staff stress – could now be applied to other crime types within the force as well as being scaled up nationally, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports. ❝The initial point of contact is often the most important to get right; however due to the often-stressful circumstances in making such a phone call, compounded by the time criticality of sharing the information, this is often the area of poor-quality data entering the police system.❞ - Police Digital Service (PDS) summary report ❝The THRIVE score was made objective rather than subjective by being based on several, explainable factors featured in the THRIVE rationale, such as type of harm, vulnerability (using the Vulnerability Assessment Framework), presence of children, presence of weapons, and the possibility of the situation escalating.❞ ❝The AI model delivered tangible benefits to real call handlers in terms of reduction in total call handling times, an increase in confidence of call handlers dealing with high-risk calls, and a reduction in stress as operators could focus on the citizen interaction.❞ ❝An element of human interaction is always going to be necessary. This is to allow technology to handle really simple things that can be done quickly and more efficiently through technology and enable humans to focus on more complex issues.❞ - Scot Dunn, Chief Digital & Innovation Officer, Humberside Police [SUBSCRIBER ARTICLE] #lawenforcement #policing #police #artificialintelligence #crime #domesticabuse #wellbeing https://lnkd.in/ex7-P-wW

Large-scale events such as the annual Eurovision Song Contest are a key part of the modern cultural fabric, and require complex co-ordination to overcome traditional and emerging threats; Dr Rebecca Phythian and Dr Mike Smith of Edge Hill University researched the multi-agency approaches to the Eurovision events in Liverpool and Malmö, interviewing partners including police, local authorities and event organisers to identify key learning for future events. ❝Behind the seamless delivery of these large-scale events lies a complex network of organisations – a multi-agency team – tasked with managing both traditional threats, such as protests, traffic and crowd management, and emerging challenges.❞ ❝Eurovision 2024 in Malmö unfolded against a backdrop of heightened political tension following the Israel-Gaza conflict. The city’s response was marked by pro-Palestinian marches, which dominated headlines rather than street parties.❞ ❝What our research has revealed is a multi-agency approach in both cities based on collaboration, relationships, trust, information sharing and empowering leadership with a sense of shared goals across all agencies.❞ ❝Despite the challenges, both cities demonstrated that when agencies collaborate effectively, they can create an environment where safety and freedom of expression coexist – a true measure of success.❞ https://lnkd.in/eB_nZcMA #lawenforcement #policing #police

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. ❝If you took away the shield then I could have walked my normal foot patrol beat in Balham High Road and no one would have looked any differently at me, but now with my long plastic shield I was a ‘riot cop’.❞ ❝The basic tactics were based on those developed by the Romans and their shield work. The long shields were ‘locked’ together to form a wall, and the back-up officer’s role was to keep us tightly locked in and move as one unit. It was very basic and limited in the face of a fluid and moving crowd throwing petrol bombs and other missiles. It was also very ordered and regimented, and we had to wait for orders on deployment and our objectives. It was painfully slow progress at times, and frustrating to be part of it.❞ ❝Officers can now have much longer acrylic batons; many prefer the telescopic ‘asp’, a friction lock baton that is much easier to carry and gives you more mobility than a 24-inch acrylic baton, which hangs off your belt and can be close enough to your legs to restrict mobility.❞ ❝These events are often extremely fast moving, and one incident or confrontation can escalate the disorder in moments, so the command team have a difficult balance to maintain in trying to restore order but not escalate it by any police action.❞ ❝In a similar vein to the disorder seen at Harehills in Leeds the week before, spontaneous disorder is challenging to address and resource, and command teams need the availability of trained and equipped officers.❞ ❝The missile onslaught [in Rotherham] increased, and the crowd moved towards the officers as they remained rooted to the spot. Tactically, this was a failing in respect of achieving the objective and protection of the officers, and there should have been decisive action.❞ ❝The limitations of water cannon are significant, with several being required to achieve a widespread dispersal across an area; one unit would only move a group around an area, and would be unlikely to disperse them completely.❞ ❝The fact that PC Keith Blakelock was brutally murdered during those [Broadwater Farm] riots, yet baton rounds were not used, gives some indication of the level of disorder it may take – albeit tactics and risk and safety assessments have significantly changed since 1985.❞ [SUBSCRIBER ARTICLE] https://lnkd.in/ePr7zYaF #lawenforcement #policing #police #protests #publicorder