CPS: Policing needs fundamental reform to restore public confidence

Monday, 21 February 2022 22:30

“Only fundamental reform can reverse the crisis of confidence in policing” says Chair of Strategic Review Sir Michael Barber, the Chair of the Strategic Review of Policing, will say at an event hosted by the Centre for Policy Studies tomorrow (February 22nd 2022) that “only fundamental reform can reverse the crisis of confidence in policing”. He will warn that without reform, the British tradition of policing by consent is at serious risk. ...Request free trial

“Only fundamental reform can reverse the crisis of confidence in policing” says Chair of Strategic Review

Sir Michael Barber, the Chair of the Strategic Review of Policing, will say at an event hosted by the Centre for Policy Studies tomorrow (February 22^nd 2022) that “only fundamental reform can reverse the crisis of confidence in policing”. He will warn that without reform, the British tradition of policing by consent is at serious risk.

The event, also attended by the Minister for Crime, Policing and Probation the Rt Hon Kit Malthouse MP, comes two weeks before the Police Foundation publishes the strategic review's final report, which will make 56 recommendations for the future of policing in England and Wales. They will be based upon three central themes: culture, capacity and capability. The report will be the most comprehensive review of policing for a decade and has been over two years in the making.

Sir Michael Barber will share a panel with the Rt Hon Kit Malthouse MP and Lisa Townsend, Surrey PCC. He will say to an audience of representatives from national and local police forces, criminal justice bodies, agencies and government:

“There is a clear crisis of confidence in policing in England and Wales. This is not just the result of recent high-profile issues but is far more fundamental. Huge societal, technological and environmental changes are happening at warp speed yet too often policing seems stuck in the past, hardly fit for the present yet alone the future.”

Barber will make clear that the excellent police officers in this country are doing great work everyday to keep the public safe despite, rather than because of, the system they are operating within. He will set out some stark statistics to illustrate why the crisis goes deep:

Over 40% of all crime now is online fraud, the vast majority of which goes undetected, never mind prosecuted.
Violent crime, often drug-related, has risen, with “homicide by sharp instruments” doubling between 2015 and 2021.
The dramatic increase in the time children and young people spend unsupervised online leaves them vulnerable. Between 400 - 450 people are arrested every month in the UK in relation to online Child Sexual Abuse imagery.
Rape and other sexual offences are being reported in far greater numbers. Though increased reporting indicates victims are feeling more empowered to come forward, the police and courts are bringing only a tiny proportion of offenders to justice.
Detention of a person under the Mental Health Act increased by 33% between 2017 and 2020 and three million ‘investigation hours’ per year were devoted to missing persons.

He will also note however that there have been improvements in other serious crime rates, including knife-crime, neighbourhood crime such as burglary and firearms related offences which are all down since 2019.

Sir Michael Barber will conclude by outlining how the police must move forwards if it is to emerge from the current crisis:

“The thin blue line is now stretched far too thin. It is encouraging that more police are now being recruited but there is a long way to go. Too often our police are effectively a social service dealing more with mental health and family breakdown than crime fighting or crime prevention service. We need more police and they need a laser focus on the crime challenges of today.

“In the digital age, where the dark web is often the new crime frontline, it can feel like a contest between a Betamax police force and Block chain enabled criminals. As an illustration, we have a National Police Computer that is nearly 50 years old and is an emblem of the past rather than a cutting-edge tool of the present.”

“Taken together with some deep-rooted issues around professional development, training and leadership, the challenges for our police are great and growing. In two weeks we will publish our report, which will make 54 recommendations for change, and I hope it will mark a fundamental turning point in the modernisation of a public service that matters deeply to us all.”

The Rt Hon Kit Malthouse MP, Minister for Crime, Policing and Probation, will say:

“Police officers perform a unique and vital role in our society, working tirelessly day in, day out to keep our people safe from harm. It is vital that they have the powers, resources and expertise to confront the complex and evolving crime picture we are grappling with.

“That is exactly why we are doing recruiting more officers, investing in new technology, and boosting funding by up to £1.1bn more than last year - to make sure they can continue cutting crime. And it’s working.

“Violence and neighbourhood crime are down, and we are making the streets safer, but I am the first to say that the fight against crime can often be a case of two steps forward and one step back. It is not a linear progression.

“We know that crime is changing and that the future will present new challenges to policing. I thank Sir Michael for his work and I look forward to looking at this report and the recommendations once released to make sure we take the right action to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow.”

Notes to Editors

Centre for Policy Studies

Register for the webinar with Sir Michael Barber and the Rt Hon Kit Malthouse MP ‘The Future of Policing: what are the challenges facing policing today?’ here
For further information and media requests, please contact Callum Price on 07796565754 by email at callum@cps.org.uk
The Centre for Policy Studies is one of the oldest and most influential think tanks in Westminster. With a focus on taxation, economic growth, business, welfare, housing and green growth, its goal is to develop policies that widen enterprise, ownership and opportunity

Police Foundation

The Police Foundation is the only independent think tank focused exclusively on improving policing and developing knowledge and understanding of policing and crime reduction. Its mission is to generate evidence and develop ideas which deliver better policing and a safer society. It does this by producing trusted, impartial research and by working with the police and their partners to create change.
The Strategic Review of Policing in England and Wales, chaired by Sir Michael Barber and hosted by the Police Foundation is the first independent review of policing for many years and is intended to be as influential as the last Royal Commission on the Police in 1962. This final report from the Review is our attempt to describe what kind of police service we will need to address the challenges of the 21st century.