news 2024

The number of sex offences committed by strangers decreased significantly in the UK during the Covid-19 pandemic, new research shows. According to researchers at the University of Birmingham, the amount of offending in night-time economy and outdoor settings dropped significantly, but so too did offences taking place at home.

Police services across Britain are failing to meet the public's minimum standards of service delivery, according to a new report from researchers at UCL and the ESRC Vulnerability & Policing Futures Research Centre, which measures this sentiment for the first time. For the report , the research team sought the views of members of the public across Britain to establish the minimum standards of service that the public should be able to expect from the police.

Rising numbers of houses and flats listed as short-term lets on Airbnb are associated with higher rates of crimes such as burglaries and street robberies right across London, according to the most detailed study of its kind. There may be social consequences to turning large swathes of city neighbourhoods into hotels with little regulation Charles Lanfear Latest research has revealed a "positive association" between the number of properties listed as Airbnb rentals and police-reported robberies and violent crimes in thousands of London neighbourhoods between 2015 and 2018.

The University of Glasgow has contributed to research that finds only 40% of people in England trust their police force. The study, commissioned by the Economic and Social Research Council (ERSC), spotlights London's Metropolitan Police as the area where women trust the least - and Conservative voters have higher levels of trust in the force.

Bath researchers have helped produce a safer, more sustainable fingerprint detection spray that could be used on multiple types of surface. Published on Monday 26 February 2024 Last updated on Monday 26 February 2024 Scientists have developed a water soluble, non-toxic fluorescent spray that makes fingerprints visible in just a few seconds, making forensic investigations safer, easier and quicker.