In this week’s World Policing Weekly, Bernard Rix and Ian Wiggett discuss the gap between falling crime levels and rising public concern, asking why people often feel less safe even when official data suggests the opposite. The episode also looks at online risks to children, policing visibility, AI in investigations, delays in rape investigations, neighbourhood policing pressures, the decline of mounted units and the changing direction of police reform.
The programme also features a clip from Policing TV’s recent AI in Law Enforcement webinar, discussion of the NPCC Innovation and Digital Summit, and reflections on the latest workforce and policing reform debates in England and Wales.
References
- lawless-britain-an-update
- dramatic-decline-in-mounted-unit-strength
- government-may-have-changed-tack-on-force-mergers-lord-blunkett-says
- police-officers-usa-europe
- she-did-everything-asked-of-her
- project-echo-shifts-the-policing-focus-towards-meaningful-safeguarding-and-proactive-support-for-csam-survivors
- AI in Law Enforcement Highlights | Americas and Europe
Key takeaways
- Official crime levels are falling, but public perceptions of crime remain much more negative.
- Fear of crime does not always match what the data shows about actual risk.
- Children may now face greater risks online than they do in public spaces.
- Visible local policing can play an important role in how safe communities feel.
- AI is increasingly being used to support serious investigations and speed up decision-making.
- Redaction and disclosure requirements are placing major time pressures on rape investigators.
- Neighbourhood policing targets are creating difficult choices about where officers are moved from.
- Mounted units continue to shrink as forces balance operational value against cost.
Chapters
00:27 – Welcome to World Policing Weekly
01:31 – Is crime really falling?
03:35 – Why don’t people feel safer?
07:33 – Where are children most at risk?
09:19 – Does visible policing make people feel safer?
10:54 – IACP leadership and representation
13:17 – AI helping serious investigations
14:30 – Why rape investigations are being delayed
18:30 – NPCC Innovation and Digital Summit
20:00 – The squeeze on neighbourhood policing
25:13 – Why mounted units are disappearing
27:16 – Is police reform changing direction?
29:51 – The role of mounted policing
30:31 – IACP executive board answers
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