by John Hayward-Cripps, Chief Executive, Neighbourhood Watch

The Government recently published its white paper on police reform, which if implemented in full, would be the most significant reform of policing in over 60 years, if not ever. There is little doubt that major police reform is required as the nature of crime and criminality has changed massively with the internet.

In 2024, computer misuse (unauthorised criminal access to computer systems, data or networks) increased by 37%. Computer misuse is also a concern for businesses and organisations. Findings from the Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2024 showed that half of businesses, and around a third of charities, reported experiencing some form of cyber security breach.

This change in crime profile has also evolved over a period characterised by constrained budgets. Between 2010/11 and 2018/19 overall police funding fell 19% nationally. Changes in the demands on police combined with fewer resources have been tracked by a diminishing confidence in the police.

What will reform mean in practice?

The White Paper confirms the abolition of Police and Crime Commissioners that had been previously announced. It also details a set of proposals that the government will consult on. The key proposals are:

  1. A reduction in the number of police forces

    We have 43 police forces (39 in England, 4 in Wales); the white paper proposes these are reduced to between 10 and 12. The current number and size disparity of forces has long been criticised as inefficient and as creating differences in both police provision and how police policy is interpreted. Virtually all police forces already have joint teams and reducing the number of forces has been widely welcomed.

  2. Establishing a National Police Service

    Setting up a National Police Service responsible for national capabilities and crime areas such as counter-terrorism and serious organised crime. The Police Federation has previously proposed centralising these functions and the idea has been described as a “British FBI”.

    Currently different police forces take national leads for different crime types. Counter-terrorism is led by the Metropolitan Police Force, cybercrime and fraud is headed by the City of London Police, and there are also Regional Organised Crime Units.

    But serious crimes like drug importation and distribution, county lines, and cybercrime are not limited by police force boundaries. These issues require specialist knowledge and experience, so bringing these teams together could improve coordination and results.

  3. Introducing a National Licence to Practice for all warranted officers

    All warranted officers would have to undertake ongoing training and learning throughout their careers, and meet a minimum standard, in order to remain warranted officers. This will bring police officers into line with other public service professionals such as nurses, social workers and doctors who must maintain training and meet a national standard to continue to practise.

Community focus

The reforms have a clear community focus and emphasis on neighbourhood policing.  There is a commitment to increase neighbourhood officers by 13,000 and ensure every community has a named, contactable officer. The government has emphasised the importance of visible police patrols (which have been decreasing steadily in recent years) in improving public confidence.

Neighbourhood Watch has been advocating for named, contactable local officers for many years, with the proviso that they are not then repeatedly moved on or abstracted to other demands. It is a shame that there is not a more specific emphasis on the importance, value and benefit of engaging with established community organisations such as Neighbourhood Watch and others; however, there is a wider emphasis on community engagement.

What investment will there be?

While there has been broad support for the reforms, there are concerns about how and with what resources the reforms will take place.

The potential savings from centralisation and increased efficiency will take time to materialise. But without any additional investment, then improvement and confidence in policing could be limited. This is a particular concern given that implementation of the reforms will increase costs in the short term.

If additional resources are made available for implementation, then the reforms offer a significant modernisation and improvement in policing, with national coordination for complex crime and an increased focus on visible community policing.