Policing Insight

International policing consultant Jane Townsley, a retired chief inspector and former President of the International Association of Women Police (IAWP), believes policing in the UK must root out misogyny and racism and promote gender responsive policing if it is to prove its credentials as a law enforcement world leader, as she explained to Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons. [SUBSCRIBER ARTICLE] policinginsight.com/feature/…

A recent report by the European Commission evaluates the societal and economic consequences of AI integration, particularly on labour markets, inequality and wealth distribution, and the ethical frameworks required to govern the new technology responsibly; the report makes essential reading for those invested in the future of policing, says Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth, offering a vision of some of the challenges law enforcement could face in the years ahead. [SUBSCRIBER ARTICLE] policinginsight.com/feature/… @EU_Commission

🚨Westminster Insight’s Managing Protests and Public Order Conference The new Crime and Policing Act 2026 gives the police new powers designed to enable them to stop ‘disorderly behaviour and keep the public safe’. It aims to balance the rights of protest with the rights of others to go about the day without disruption or alarm. Attend Westminster Insight’s expert-led Managing Protests and Public Order Conference on 12th November, supported by Policing Insight as media partner, to examine national policy and operational approaches to manage protests, large-scale events, and public disorder. Register your place today! [ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE] policinginsight.com/feature/… @WMinsightUK

Less than 4% of the 74,727 rapes recorded in England and Wales in the year to March 2026 had led to a charge by the end of that year, and offences now take an average 862 days to get from report to completed court case; as HMICFRS, the College of Policing and the IOPC investigate a police super-complaint into the “inhumane and untenable” delays, former Met Detective Chief Superintendent Marcus Barnett explores why so few cases lead to a charge, why it takes so long, and why policing can’t fix it alone. policinginsight.com/feature/…

In the third of this latest series of articles on UK police workforce development, Policing Insight’s Ian Wiggett explores the challenges forces face in meeting the Government pledge to find 13,000 ‘extra’ neighbourhood policing personnel – largely from existing resources – and the impact this commitment will have on other areas and specialisms within policing. [SUBSCRIBER ARTICLE] policinginsight.com/feature/… 💡 Read more articles in the 'UK police workforce development' series: policinginsight.com/series/u… @Wiggett_IE

Frontline policing now demands specialist counterterrorism insight. LJMU’s new Terrorism, Counterterrorism and Law Enforcement Studies programme delivers expert-led, evidence-based learning in ideologies, intelligence, radicalisation, critical infrastructure and aviation security. Experience the free sample learning environment and discover a flexible course built to sharpen judgement, capability and career progression for policing professionals. [ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE] policinginsight.com/feature/… @LJMU @InformaConnect @InformaAcademy @LJMU_LCAPS

For over a decade, specialist units tackling online child sexual abuse material (CSAM) have prioritised building offender-centric cases for court, while victims documented in abuse collections remain largely overlooked; Simon Bailey, Chair of the International Policing and Public Protection Research Institute at Anglia Ruskin University, explains how Project Echo is redressing that balance, working with police and other agencies to provide meaningful safeguarding and proactive support for CSAM survivors. policinginsight.com/feature/… @ARUPolicing @AngliaRuskin

🚨Melbourne to host ‘EPIC’ conference – uniting evidence-based, problem-oriented and intelligence-enabled policing for Community Safety The ANZ SEBP - Australia and New Zealand Society of Evidence Based Policing (ANZSEBP) alongside Victoria Police, the Australian Federal Police and the Australian Institute of Criminology, will host the third Global Collaboration in Evidence Based Policing conference in Melbourne, supported by Policing Insight as media partner, from 20–22 April 2027. Under the banner ‘EPIC’, it will be a world-first event of its type to bring three complementary policing disciplines together in a single program. ❝An engaging and thought-provoking conference that will challenge ideas, share proven practice and help shape the future of evidence-based policing and associated disciplines.❞ - Det Supt David Cowan, President, ANZSEBP Find out more about abstract submissions and registeration here: [ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE] policinginsight.com/feature/… @anzsebp @VictoriaPolice @AusFedPolice @davidco75504827

Florida’s Port St. Lucie Police Department has rebuilt its workforce by paying cadets to train in its own academy instead of competing for certified officers; Chief Leo Niemczyk spoke to Policing Insight’s Christine Townsend about why marketing never worked, what hiring older recruits changes, and whether a model built for growth can keep pace with one of America’s fastest-growing cities. [SUBSCRIBER ARTICLE] policinginsight.com/feature/… @PSLPolice @CityPortStLucie

❝It’s taken 16 years to recover, but the police budget in England and Wales is now finally above 2010 levels in real terms. Despite this extra money, forces are still having to make cuts. The total workforce has dropped by nearly 4% since 2024, with 1,860 fewer police officers, driven mainly by large cuts in the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS). Outside London, most forces have either grown or maintained officer numbers since 2024. The majority of forces are still smaller overall than 16 years ago. A redistribution of funding since 2010 has taken forces along different resourcing trajectories. It’s the unspoken element in the ‘postcode lottery’ argument around police restructure – alongside some real concerns about forces’ financial resilience. The UK Government has recently had to make one-off payments to forces to cover budget gaps. It is allowing forces more flexibility with their workforce numbers and has acknowledged the need for a new funding formula. However, this will only come once restructuring is ‘underway’. At the same time, more of the budget is being ‘top-sliced’ for large projects or restricted to specific purposes – including moving 13,000 officers and police community support officers into neighbourhood policing. Overall resources in forces will continue to be squeezed, and the pressure will continue to be felt differently. Funding for policing in England and Wales is due to total £21.19 billion this year. In real terms (adjusted for inflation), that is an increase of 4.4% on last year. It is almost a quarter higher than in 2015/6. The total includes money raised from the council tax precept. Forces are increasingly reliant on local taxation, which has risen from 25% of the policing budget in 2015 to over 30% now. Some forces have been able to increase precept income more than others, further distorting the way the budget is distributed. More is being ‘top-sliced’ out of the control of forces, to cover national functions and specific initiatives such as county lines and violence reduction. The top-slice has risen from 15% in 2015 to around 18% (although this now includes funding for the neighbourhood policing increase). Again, some forces benefit more than others. Meanwhile, the proportion of core grant – the basic allocation to forces by the Home Office through the funding formula – has dropped from 59% to 48%. This total includes funds allocated by the Welsh Government to the four Welsh forces. Significantly, nearly £1billion will be allocated this year to police technology programmes, the costs of which continue to balloon while delivery dates keep being pushed back.❞ Chart shows Police Funding England and Wales 2015/6 to 2026/7 (real terms). For more analysis and charts from Policing Insight's Ian Wiggett read the full article 'The 2026 UK police workforce: Funding, fairness, demand and need' [SUBSCRIBER ARTICLE] policinginsight.com/feature/… @Wiggett_IE