Tony Blair Institute: It is time for a fundamental reset in the policing system to cope with modern crime

• New research shows that more than 40 per cent of people who experienced or witnessed a crime chose not to report it. The biggest single reason given for not reporting was that people did not think the police would treat them seriously.
• Policing needs wholesale modernisation because the present system has neither the capability nor the strategy to cope with modern crime   
• TBI proposes a plan for radical reform including a legal ‘Neighbourhood-Policing Guarantee’, the creation of a modern flexible workforce and the establishment of a new national force to tackle threats that cross force boundaries 

A complete overhaul of policing is needed to deliver a policing system that can cope with modern crime and which reconnects back with the public, according to a new report by the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change (TBI), published today as part of its Future of Britain Initiative.

In ‘Rebuilding trust and delivering safer communities: a plan for reforming UK policing’ report author TBI Crime and Justice Lead Harvey Redgrave finds that the system of policing is broken. He argues that the nature of crime is changing, and police have neither capability nor the funding to deal with additional responsibilities such as mental health and online fraud.

The report also finds that because of cuts to neighbourhood policing traditional crimes such as anti-social behaviour and burglary are going unpunished which is undermining public confidence, while there is no strategy to deal with serious crimes where prolific offenders are neither properly identified nor dealt with.

The report argues that policing is being let down by a system that is not fit for purpose as well as failings in the criminal justice system.

TBI proposes a radical plan for policing:

1. Putting prevention at the heart of policing, with a new neighbourhood-policing guarantee, underpinned by legislation.

1. A modern and flexible workforce, with multiple new entry routes into policing to encourage new skills. 

1. A new focus on professional standards and responsiveness, with forces judged by HM Inspectorate to be failing to be subject to intervention from the centre and new ways for the public to drive action on issues of local concern, such as anti-social behaviour (ASB).

1. An overhaul of structures, with a new national force to tackle threats that cross force boundaries and require a strategic response, encompassing counter-terrorism, serious organised crime (SOC) and cyber.

1. Smarter use of technology to prevent criminality, including digital identity to tackle online fraud and an expansion of facial-recognition technology.

TBI Crime and Justice Lead Harvey Redgrave said:
  
 “The drop in confidence our research has revealed is no doubt linked to fact that the pressures of policing have completely changed. 

“There are also deeper, more longstanding reasons why the current policing model no longer meets public expectations. Since 2010 there has been a deterioration in many of the things the public previously took for granted: a rapid response to 999 calls, visible patrols in their neighbourhoods and, perhaps most crucially, the investigation of crimes and charging of criminals. But crucially, the current system has not kept pace with the changing nature of crime and the changing demands of modern policing. And while a majority of the public still trust the police, people are losing faith in their capacity to do their job.

“Now is the time for government to act and enable the police to meet the challenges of the 21st century and restore the founding principle of consent.”

In her foreword Baroness Casey says that the public’s relationship with the police ‘is at breaking point’.

Baroness Casey writes:

“It is the first duty of any government to protect its citizens. Overseas, we task the army with that job and domestically we charge the police with it. It is vital that criminals do not roam freely, and that the public know that the police are there to protect them. I am unconvinced that the Government is meeting that duty. 

“If we needed proof of this then look no further than TBI’s finding that more than 40 per cent of people who experienced or witnessed a crime chose not to report it. The biggest single reason given for not reporting was that people did not think the police would treat them seriously. This is deeply worrying and speaks to a fundamental rupture in the bond of trust between the police and the public.”

To inform the research, TBI commissioned a survey from Deltapoll asking people about the state of policing in the UK and their priorities for reform. The findings confirm that the public are deeply concerned about crime and policing, but also point to areas where they believe progress is possible, such as the use of technology.

As for the police themselves, while a majority of the public still trust them these numbers are historically low and 40% of the public wouldn't report a crime because faith in the system has declined so dramatically.

The report is the latest in a series of policy proposals for TBI’s Future of Britain initiative which includes a major conference in London on 18 July.

Notes to Editors 

• TBI will address failings in the criminal justice system in a further report in the coming months.
• Baroness Casey has led several high-profile reviews on behalf of government including the review into the disorder at Wembley Stadium for the final of Euro 2020 and the independent review of culture and standards into the Metropolitan Police in London following the murder of Sarah Everard.
• Harvey Redgrave is one the UK’s leading experts on policing. He previously served as deputy director in the Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit, where he led several major strategic reviews on behalf of a series of UK prime ministers affecting policy reform.
• Polling conducted by Deltapoll for the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change looked at crime and policing public perception. Deltapoll interviewed 1,576 British adults online between 24 and 26 April 2023. The data have been weighted to be representative of the British adult population as a whole
• ‘Rebuilding trust and delivering safer communities: a plan for reforming UK policing’ is the latest in a series of new proposals.  
• On Friday 23 June we published ‘Moving Forward: The Path to a Better Post-Brexit Relationship Between the UK and the EU'
• On Monday 19 June we published Building the Future of Britain: A New Model for National Infrastructure Planning and Powering the Future of Britain: How to Deliver a Decade of Electrification  
• On Tuesday 13 June we published A New National Purpose: AI Promises A World-Leading Future of Britain. 
• In May we published Investing in the Future: Boosting Savings and Prosperity for the UK.  

The Future of Britain Initiative 

• For Britain to thrive we need to kickstart growth and deliver a new era of invention and innovation. We need to move beyond tired and conflicting visions of the past and craft the policies that genuinely tackle the challenges we face today head-on while positioning Britain for growth so we can invest in the public services and the future we all deserve and were promised.    
• The UK needs to become a nimbler and more strategic state. One that thinks radically, takes greater risks and builds policy fit for the long-term. One that recognises the power of technology and harnesses it so we can reshape how the state incentivises growth, delivers for individuals and communities and drives the economy.   
• Our experts are landing on the key catalysts for reform. The ideas with practical policy recommendations for implementation, that will reshape the state so it is equipped to deal with new challenges and position Britain to succeed based on her strengths and global position today.   
• The Future of Britain initiative is about moving beyond articulating challenges to landing a blueprint for everything we must do to get beyond the challenges of today and to a brighter tomorrow.