Ministers are set to score unprecedented powers to axe underperforming chief constables and take direct control of failing police forces. It’s the boldest police reform in 200 years.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has just unveiled a white paper titled “From local to national: a new model for policing”, promising a radical overhaul that will slash the number of England and Wales forces while launching a new nationwide crime-fighting mega-force.
Chief Constables on Notice – Ministers to Intervene Directly
- Home Secretary gains power to force retirement, suspension or resignation of poorly performing chiefs
- Specialist strike teams will be deployed into struggling forces to turn them around
- New mandatory response targets: 15 minutes for serious incidents in cities, 20 minutes in rural areas
- All 999 calls must be answered within 10 seconds, with performance published for public scrutiny
New National Police Service to Tackle Serious Crime
The reforms will create a powerful National Police Service. It will merge the National Crime Agency, Counter Terrorism Policing, regional organised crime units, police helicopters, and national roads policing into one mega-organisation.
A new national police commissioner will preside as the country’s top cop.
The new force will handle forensics for all 43 local forces, clearing a digital backlog of 20,000 devices waiting to be analysed.
High-Tech Boost: Facial Recognition, AI & Tough Vetting
- £140 million pumped into police tech, including 50 facial recognition vans—five times more than before—to crack down on violent and sexual offenders
- Police.AI, a new centre, will launch AI tools nationwide, freeing up to six million officer hours – equivalent to 3,000 cops
- Stricter vetting rules bar anyone with a history of violence against women or girls from joining the force
- Officers must hold and renew licences throughout their careers or face removal
Extra Measures: Public Order, Retail Crime & Neighbourhood Policing
- £7 million to fight organised retail crime
- Graduate recruitment programme inspired by Teach First to bring top university talent into neighbourhood policing
- Every council ward will have named, contactable officers under the extended Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee
- Senior national coordinator to direct resources during major public order incidents, like the 2024 summer unrest
The government claims merging forces will save a whopping £350 million in centralised procurement, money that’ll be funnelled back into frontline policing.
