In his annual assessment of policing in England and Wales, Sir
Thomas Winsor said most police forces were performing well, and
praised the police for their integrity and bravery.
But he also called on leaders in police forces and institutions
to make bold and long-term decisions to improve policing.
He said there was continued controversy about the 43-force
structure of policing in England and Wales, with a need for the
police service to function as part of a single law enforcement
system.
Other areas highlighted for reform included:
- consideration of new mandatory standards to prevent
inefficiency and ineffectiveness in policing;
- enactment of proposed legislation to strengthen the role of
the Forensic Science Regulator;
- multi-year financial settlements for the most efficient
police forces, to provide them with certainty, stability and
predictability; and
- longer-term investment in technology, such as body-worn
video, fully-functional hand-held mobile devices, facial
recognition and artificial intelligence.
Urging reform, Sir Thomas said that the “wider criminal justice
system is dysfunctional and defective”. He said rehabilitation
needed to be taken more seriously, with people released from
prisons guaranteed proper support in dealing with benefits and
finance, and finding work and accommodation.
On police pressures, he added:
“There are indications that some forces are straining under
significant pressure as they try to meet growing complex and
high-risk demand with weakened resources.”
Sir Thomas also backed calls for the government to introduce
criminal liability for senior managers in tech companies who
allow harmful materials on their websites, and the campaign for
‘Sammy’s Law’ – which aims to give people a defence to crimes
their abusers force them to commit.
On online abuse and radicalisation, the Chief Inspector of
Constabulary said:
“Most children are now more at risk in their own bedrooms than
they are on the streets. This type of offending is not just
about child sexual abuse and fraud, but radicalisation,
harassment and stalking too.”
Writing in the State of Policing 2018 report, Sir Thomas
concluded:
“I believe that some profound and far-reaching aspects of
police reform are called for. For these reforms to take place,
leaders in central government, PCCs and chief constables will
all need to make bold, long-term decisions.
“If they don’t, the windspeed of police reform will fall to a
flutter, leaving the police service increasingly unable to meet
the demands it faces. The inevitable legacy of such an approach
would be unacceptable compromises in both the quality of
service the police can offer the public and the level of public
safety and security the police can uphold.
“But if the reforms I have set out in my assessment are carried
out, competently, comprehensively and with resolve, they will
secure major improvements in police effectiveness and
efficiency. The widening gap…between the public’s needs and the
police’s capacity and capability, will begin to narrow. And the
police service will be better able to adapt to face the demands
of today and tomorrow, to the great benefit of all of us.”
Get the report
State of Policing: The
Annual Assessment of Policing in England and Wales 2018
Notes
- The State of Policing report is Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector
of Constabulary’s annual report to the Secretary of State under
section 54(4A) of the Police Act 1996.
- The report also includes an analysis of force management
statements, self-assessments which all chief constables need to
submit to HMICFRS each year.
