Cathy Haenlein responds to the government's announcement of major reforms to policing in the UK
Comment by Cathy Haenlein
UK POLICING REFORM
The case for reform is strong … Experience suggests the greatest risks lie not in the model but in culture, process and change leadership.
“The government’s long-awaited White Paper, From Local to National: A New Model for Policing, comes six months later than planned and outlines an ambitious programme of change.”
“The case for reform is strong. Policing in England and Wales remains tied to a 1960s-era model of 43 territorial forces, which is bureaucratic and inefficient.”
“The proposals are far-reaching, including a significant consolidation of forces and the creation of a ‘British FBI’. While the idea of a British FBI is not new – it accompanied the launch of both the National Crime Agency and its predecessor – the idea that a consolidated national structure could allow forces to focus on neighbourhood policing while tackling serious and organised crime and terrorism, through pooled specialist capabilities and technology, is credible.”
“Experience suggests the greatest risks lie not in the model but in culture, process and change leadership. Labour’s vision is bold but leans on structural reorganisation that has previously stalled. The plan to shrink force numbers, with the final model kicked to an ‘independent review’, echoes Charles Clarke’s 2006 attempt to cut force numbers, which unravelled when politics and policing pushed back, and a successor binned it.
“This time, key parts of policing support the reforms. Yet reviews can create an easy escape-hatch: a future government can shelve the recommendations and keep the headlines without the hard graft.”
“It is also unclear how this changes the binding near-term constraint: money. Police leaders warn of a large funding gap, while recent settlements and spending plans offer only modest real-terms growth. Major mergers are costly upfront and occupy management before delivering savings.”
“Reforming police structures is a long-term endeavour. The White Paper provides a clear case and direction, but the precise shape of reform – potentially under another party – remains to be determined.”
Cathy Haenlein is RUSI’s Director of Organised Crime and Policing Studies
