Policing set to reform, home secretary announces

Yesterday, home secretary Yvette Cooper gave a speech at the annual conference hosted by the National Police Chiefs’ Council and Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, announcing her major reforms for the British police force.

These included a new Police Performance Unit to track performance data and improve standards, a Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee to rebuild trust from the ground up between local forces and their communities, and a new National Centre of Policing to utilise new technology and forensics to keep up with the changing nature of crime.

The home secretary also announced more than £500 million of additional policing funding to support the government’s Safer Streets Mission, including an increase in police force allowance, and extra resources for neighbourhood policing, the NCA and counter-terrorism. A full breakdown of this funding is to follow in December.

Without major overhaul to restore public confidence, the British tradition of policing by consent is at risk, emphasised Yvette Cooper. These proposed changes will ensure that policing will have the national capabilities to fight unpredictable, unprecedented, and complex crimes.

The home secretary’s reforms come as part of a strategy to reset the relationship between the government and the police force. The Home Office now intends to take a more proactive approach in driving improvements by working directly with police leaders, and ensuring policing is set up to succeed by enforcing strong government structures.

Thus, a new National Centre of Policing will be set up by a collaboration between the home secretary and key police leaders. Although the scope and scale of the project is still undecided, it is expected to include specialist functions such as forensics, aviation, and IT — services which have deteriorated over the last decade. National arrangements on procurement also aim to generate savings to reinvest into policing frontlines.

A new Police Performance Framework will be drawn up between policing and the Home Office to ensure standards are maintained nationwide. This falls in line with a longterm recommendation of the police inspectorate and has the support of the College of Policing and the National Police Chiefs’ Council.

The Home Office’s Police Performance Unit will work alongside this, using data to recommend improvements ensure performance is standardised, rather than a postcode lottery.

The Home Office has pledged to create a new database to track local performance in priority areas like knife crime and gender-based violence. A collaboration between ministers, the College of Policing, His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services, and PCCs will ensure that outside forces can intervene should policing not be up to standards.

Home secretary Yvette Cooper has said:

“Public confidence is the bedrock of our British policing model but in recent years it has been badly eroded, as neighbourhood policing has been cut back and as outdated systems and structures have left the police struggling to keep up with a fast-changing criminal landscape.

“That’s why we’re determined to rebuild neighbourhood policing, to improve performance across police forces and to ensure the highest standards are being upheld across the service.

“The challenge of rebuilding public confidence is shared one for government and policing. This is an opportunity for a fundamental reset in that relationship, and together we will embark on this roadmap for reform to regain the trust and support of the people we all serve and to reinvigorate the best of policing.”

Backed by police leaders, the government is committed to marry their reform with collaboration, working together to ensure trust can be rebuilt between the police and their communities. The work is expected to be published in the spring, ahead of legislation to follow.

Chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council Gavin Stephens said:

“We’re encouraged to hear the home secretary’s plans for policing reform and look forward to working with government and our partner agencies to determine how best we can shape the future of our service.

“At our joint summit with the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners this week, I’ll be giving more details on our vision and ambitions, keeping communities at the heart of all that we do.”

Chair of the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners Emily Spurrell said: 

“We welcome the home secretary’s renewed focus on data and standards as part of reforms to provide a better service to the public. Not only will this help to shine a light on where there are issues of concern, but also highlight best practice.

“Successful innovation often starts at a local level, led by Chief Constables and PCCs, before being taken up nationally. Identifying promising initiatives early and then working with policing to improve national take up will be greatly assisted by improved data. Likewise, where there are failings, the Home Office, PCCs, the College of Policing, and the policing inspectorate should be working together using data to drive improvement and reassure the public.

“We look forward to working with the government and policing colleagues to design a performance standards unit which helps policing deliver more effectively in an ever more complex environment.”

Dr Rick Muir, director of the Police Foundation, said:

“A serious reform programme like this win policing is long overdue.

“Too often in the past, officers at then frontline have been let down by outdated technology, inadequate training and inefficient support services.

“Until these issues are addressed, the public won’t get the quality of policing they deserve.”