Lord has been appointed to
lead the Independent Review of Police Force Structures that
will lead to a smaller number of
larger forces across England and Wales.
As set out in the landmark, Police Reform White
Paper, the independent review will make
evidence-based recommendations on how to restructure policing
across England and Wales into fewer,
larger forces.
The review will identify the optimum number
of forces and the geographic areas they will cover. It will also
consider how the new forces are governed and held accountable to
ensure the new system is effective in delivering local policing
across the country and responding to the priorities of local
communities.
Under the new structure, regional forces will carry out complex
investigations such as homicide, drugs and county
lines. Fewer, larger forces will ensure each one has the capacity
to meet surges in demand. Bringing together specialist
functions such as firearms, roads policing and cybercrime into
larger forces will help build expertise and ensure
these resources are deployed effectively.
Within these larger forces, there will be Local
Policing Areas focussed exclusively on the issues that matter
most to residents and businesses, such as shop theft, drug
dealing, phone theft and anti-social behaviour. They
will be tasked with delivering high quality local and
neighbourhood policing, no matter where they are in the
country.
The terms of reference for the review will be confirmed shortly
and its recommendations will be given to the Home Secretary by
summer.
As a former Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Chief Constable of
Merseyside Police, and Inspector of Constabulary, brings extensive experience
to this work, whilst also being at a critical distance from the
current policing system.
