Going equipped – highlighting your experiences

I am delighted to bring you the first edition of the College of Policing's Going equipped.

I see a real thirst for knowledge in our forces, both academically and practically. Many of our officers and staff are undertaking research, discovering what works in policing or looking to share ideas, reflection and examples of practice without a mechanism to do so. Going equipped is here to help solve that problem, to ensure we can learn from each other and continually improve policing for our communities.

Going equipped has been created to allow a wide range of peer-to-peer insights across policing at all roles and ranks, with a clear operational and frontline focus. It is written by you, for you. Anyone can contribute and that is why this publication will be so valuable.

This first issue is full of interesting contributions – there is something for everyone, whatever your role in policing. Ali Heydari’s long read, which is based on her PhD research, picks up on the value of procedural justice in policing domestic abuse and introduces concepts such as vicarious trauma and compassion fatigue, which may feel familiar.

Contributions also tell us about bitcoin, the role of the Forward Intelligence Team in the Extinction Rebellion protests in London, the use of body-worn video in voluntary attendance interviews during COVID-19 and the work done by a specialist tactical firearms commander, plus much more.

While much of this issue of Going equipped was written prior to the pandemic, many of the pieces of writing have been updated to include the authors’ reflections on the significant changes to society in the past few months. These have been challenging times for policing, with the coronavirus pandemic affecting how we serve our communities, both now and into the future. This, coupled with the focus on Black Lives Matter following the death of George Floyd, has meant that delivering an effective and fair police service is more important than ever. I believe that continuing to share experiences and learning within policing will be critical as we move forward.

I hope you enjoy reading this issue as much as I have enjoyed editing it.

• If you are interested in writing about your ideas, your role, something you have done or would like to be a peer reviewer, get in touch: [email protected]