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A new automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) app for use on mobile phones will be trialled by New Zealand Police officers with a view to a national roll-out, reports Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons, with the technology expected to provide “quite enormous” gains for officers and improve officer safety and productivity, at a fraction of the cost of equipping all vehicles with ANPR. [SUBSCRIBER ARTICLE] policinginsight.com/feature/… @nzpolice @NZPoliceAssn

As law enforcement agencies worldwide look for the most effective response to vulnerable individuals and those in mental health crisis, co-responder models continue to be a favored option; in this article, Noah Weinberg of community care software specialists Julota explores some of the challenges facing clinicians in the co-response approach, and offers advice on building trust and relationships with officers on the ground. policinginsight.com/feature/…

When one English force decided to develop its social media playbook in line with the College of Policing’s Media and Communications APP, the key issues to address included clarity of sign-off, a shared understanding around tone of voice, and team involvement in the design process, explains Yoav Zand, Director of training consultancy Teamshaper, whose company worked with the force both to create the playbook and evaluate its effectiveness. policinginsight.com/feature/…

The North Wales force has launched a Police Mountain Rescue Support Team – the first of its kind in England and Wales – to work alongside mountain rescue volunteers and emergency service partners, providing dedicated support for incidents where people are believed to be at risk of harm to themselves or others in hard-to-reach areas, as Policing insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports. [SUBSCRIBER ARTICLE] policinginsight.com/feature/… @NWPolice

In June Western Australia Police became the first force in the country to trial live facial recognition, with the results published last month; Curtin University Lecturer Adam Andreotta suggests that while the results at first glance seem to tell a success story, ethical success is hard to measure from numbers alone, and a system that has high numbers of arrests and low mistakes can still raise ethical concerns if it lacks accountability or its mechanisms for justice fail. policinginsight.com/feature/… @WA_Police @CurtinUni

Police resources in England and Wales have been on a bumpy ride over the past 30 years. From a low point of 178,000 in 2000, the total workforce soared to a peak of nearly 245,000 in 2010. Numbers then dropped sharply to under 199,000 in 2017, before a partial recovery to nearly 236,600 in 2024. In the past two years, numbers have drifted downwards again. The workforce now totals just over 234,400. Police officer numbers have tracked those ups and downs. After a 2009 peak of nearly 143,800, by the end of Theresa May’s premiership in 2018, England and Wales had fewer officers than in 1998. Boris Johnson’s Uplift Programme directed funding into a major recruitment drive, and officer numbers soared to a record peak of over 147,700 in 2024. That level has been difficult to maintain, both financially and in terms of recruitment and retention. The number of officers has now slipped under 145,900. 📈Chart shows Total England & Wales police workforce 1996 to 2026 (FTE at financial year end) - source Police Workforce England and Wales Statistics, UK Home Office Read more analysis in the article from Policing Insight's Ian Wiggett: [SUBSCRIBER ARTICLE] policinginsight.com/feature/… 💡 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 '𝐔𝐊 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭' 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬. From austerity cuts to recruitment boosts and subsequent spikes in early service leavers, police officer numbers in England and Wales over the past decade have been a focus of concern. In this series launched in 2020, Ian Wiggett maps police workforce development in England and Wales since 2010, identifying major trends and significant challenges. In 2026 the series has been expanded to include police workforce statistics for Scotland and Northern Ireland. policinginsight.com/series/u… @Wiggett_IE @ukhomeoffice

Following decades of police and other first-responder agency requests to deliver a Europe-wide interoperable communications network to meet operational requirements, the European Commission has announced proposals for a new EU Critical Communication System (EUCCS) that will enable agencies to securely share data, video, messages and location in real time across borders and across agencies through a single device, as Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth reports. [SUBSCRIBER ARTICLE] policinginsight.com/feature/… @EU_Commission

23rd National Conference for Senior Investigating Officers: Navigating the layers of investigative leadership within complex crime investigations The conference, supported by Policing Insight as media partner, will explore the dynamic relationship within investigative leadership and the collective responsibility for managing complex, high-profile and high-risk investigations. The conference takes place 2 - 4 November 2026, Queens Hotel in Leeds. Register your place today! [ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE] policinginsight.com/feature/… @PoliceChiefs @CJSEvents

Award-winning counter-terrorism officer Detective Chief Inspector Kate Wilson has spent the past six years working on capacity-building and operational partnerships in the Middle East and Central Asia; she believes building sustainable relationships and understanding cultures and context are as important in the international fight against terrorism as technical and operational approaches, as she explained to Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons. [SUBSCRIBER ARTICLE] policinginsight.com/feature/… @IAWPInfo @TerrorismPolice

In the first of this latest series on UK police workforce development, Policing Insight’s Ian Wiggett looks at changes in the size and make-up of the police workforce over the first two years of a Labour government, highlighting the differences in staffing levels between forces and countries within the UK, and the challenges that are emerging in the light of continuing budgetary pressures and the resulting workforce decisions that forces are making. [SUBSCRIBER ARTICLE] policinginsight.com/feature/… @Wiggett_IE 💡 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 '𝐔𝐊 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭' 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬. From austerity cuts to recruitment boosts and subsequent spikes in early service leavers, police officer numbers in England and Wales over the past decade have been a focus of concern. In this series launched in 2020, Ian Wiggett maps police workforce development in England and Wales since 2010, identifying major trends and significant challenges. In 2026 the series has been expanded to include police workforce statistics for Scotland and Northern Ireland. policinginsight.com/series/u…

One local review of an English police force found that more than a third of officers and staff assaulted in the course of their duties were repeat victims; Northamptonshire Police Chief Inspector James Willis argues that if policing routinely applies problem-solving approaches to protect communities, should it be doing more to apply the same thinking to the people doing the policing? policinginsight.com/feature/… @NorthantsPolice