Counter-terrorism operations, fraud investigations and serious organised crime units are to be brought together under a single national police force in what ministers are calling the most significant reform of British policing in a generation.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood will set out plans on Monday for a new National Police Service, which will operate across England and Wales with its own uniform and be headed by a national commissioner who will become the country’s most senior police officer.
The restructuring will see multiple agencies and functions currently spread across different forces consolidated into one organisation. Counter-terrorism responsibilities, presently managed by the Metropolitan Police, will transfer to the new service alongside the National Crime Agency and regional organised crime units.
Police helicopter services, currently operated by West Yorkshire Police, and national roads policing, which is overseen by Sussex, will also fall under the single body. The City of London’s fraud investigation duties will be absorbed into the new structure, as will the College of Policing’s role in setting guidance and training standards.
The Government has argued that the existing 43-force model is no longer fit for purpose, pointing out that nine in ten crimes now involve a digital element while criminals routinely operate across local and national boundaries.
Ms Mahmood said the current policing model “was built for a different century” and criticised the existing arrangement whereby individual forces purchase their own equipment and IT systems separately.
Senior police figures have backed the proposals. Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley told The Telegraph that without reorganisation, resources would continue to be drawn away from local policing. National Crime Agency director general Graeme Biggar said the overall system was out of date and needed to change in response to evolving crime and technology.
The Home Office has suggested that local officers have been stretched by tackling major crimes without adequate training, leaving less capacity to address everyday offences including shoplifting and antisocial behaviour.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp cautioned that reforms must not undermine local and community policing, which he described as essential for public confidence and preventing everyday crime.
The white paper setting out full details is expected on Monday.
