Advances in technology have led to the emergence of new forms of
crime, and have enabled other crimes to move online, changing
their nature and impact on victims and communities. Technological
change has also generated new opportunities for the police, at a
time of increasing focus on efficiency and innovation.
Against this backdrop, there remains a complex relationship
between public expectations of the police and the operational
realities of modern-day policing. Police forces collectively have
seen funding reductions of about 19% since 2010/11, accompanied
by a significant reduction in the size of the police workforce.
Many crimes are under-reported to the police and require
proactive engagement with certain communities, and a large
proportion of police time is devoted to non-criminal activity,
such as mental health crisis work.
This inquiry will explore the challenges of modern policing, and
examine whether police forces in England and Wales are
sufficiently equipped and resourced to keep the public safe and
to respond effectively to evolving demands and changing patterns
of crime.
Terms of reference
Written evidence is invited on the issues set out below – but
please note that submissions do not need to address all of these
issues.
- Reforms which may be necessary to ensure the police service
has the ongoing capacity and capability to fulfil its primary
task of ensuring public safety, in the face of new and evolving
threats and challenges.
- Current and future crime trends and their implications for
policing in England and Wales, including emerging or growing
categories of crime (such as online crime and child sexual abuse)
and under-reported types of crime.
- The extent to which the police are sufficiently equipped to
deal with these changing patterns of crime and other operational
demands, such as mental health crisis work, and where gaps in
capacity and capability are likely to lie.
- The relationship between public expectations of the police,
including desired visibility and perceived priorities, and the
operational realities of policing within the current financial
context.
- Police funding levels, efficiency and cost-effectiveness,
including the role of Police & Crime Commissioners (PCCs) in
driving innovation and reform.
- The role of digital technology in policing, including
take-up, risks and barriers to use.
- International best practice examples of innovation in
policing, and the extent to which they could be replicated in
England and Wales.
Launching the inquiry Chair of the Home Affairs
Select Committee, MP said:
“Police forces are facing multiple new and emerging challenges in
their quest to protect the public from harm, including the growth
of online crime and the pressures generated by non-crime demands,
such as mental health crisis work. Ongoing funding reductions
mean there is continuing demand for new efficiency measures, and
technological change provides new opportunities for innovation.
“Against this backdrop, the Home Affairs Committee is launching a
major inquiry into ‘Policing for the Future’, to examine whether
the police have appropriate capabilities to deal with modern
challenges to public safety, changing patterns of crime, and new
ways of engaging with the public whom they serve. We are seeking
written and oral evidence on the reforms which might be required
to ensure that our police are fit for purpose, cost effective and
open to innovation and technological change.”
Submitting written evidence
Written submissions for this inquiry should be submitted online,
by noon on 16 February 2017 via this
web page:
[http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/home-affairs-committee/inquiries/parliament-2015/inquiry14/commons-written-submission-form/]
Each submission should:
a) be no more than 3,000 words in length
b) be in Word format with as little use of colour or logos as
possible
c) have numbered paragraphs
d) include a declaration of interests.
Please note that:
- Material already published elsewhere should not form the
basis of a submission, but may be referred to within a proposed
memorandum, in which case a web link to the published work should
be included.
- Once submitted, evidence is the property of the
Committee. It is the Committee’s decision whether or not to
accept a submission as formal written evidence.
- The Committee normally, though not always, chooses to make
public the written evidence it receives, by publishing it on the
internet (where it will be searchable), by printing it or by
making it available through the Parliamentary Archives. If there
is any information you believe to be sensitive you should
highlight it and explain what harm you believe would result from
its disclosure. The Committee will take this into account in
deciding whether to publish or further disclose the evidence.
- Select Committees are unable to investigate individual cases.
-
Further guidance on
submitting evidence to Select Committees is available
on the parliamentary website.
