Home Secretary (): This Government has set out
its Safer Streets Mission, which is committed to reducing
violence against women and girls and knife crime and restoring
confidence in our police service. A key part of this Mission will
see Government taking a more active leadership role on policing
and crime.
Our police officers and staff perform an invaluable public
service. They provide the safety and security on which everything
else depends. Our brave police are emphatic about the importance
of preventing crime and disorder and every day seek to deliver
impartial policing that the public can trust. At its best,
policing in England and Wales is truly world class.
However, confidence in policing has fallen in recent years.
Visible neighbourhood policing has been decimated. At the same
time, crime has become more complex, and policing lacks the
systems and technology to respond. Police, and the public they
serve, need a system that is fit for purpose and fit for the
future.
If we want our Mission to succeed, we need to reform policing to
ensure it can operate effectively and efficiently. We must look
at changes to the system which can be delivered as a priority,
preserving those vital elements of policing by consent and
operational independence, so that we can begin to support forces
in improving the service they provide for the public.
I outline some of the core components of our long-term plans for
necessary and overdue reforms below. However, this will be a
joint programme of work between Government and policing in
recognition that the challenge of rebuilding confidence is a
shared one and we will work closely with policing over the coming
months to develop the detail of these proposals. I am grateful
for the support and enthusiasm from policing system leaders on
this important work to date and look forward to driving it
forward together. Working closely, and in partnership with,
policing, we intend to publish a Police Reform White Paper next
year, outlining our plans for bold and comprehensive reforms to
the policing system.
Our new Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee will include, amongst
other things, the restoration of patrols to town centres, the
delivery of thousands of additional policing personnel into
neighbourhood policing roles and the assurance that every
community has a named officer to turn to.
Halving knife crime and violence against women and girls requires
effective cross-system working. Police and Crime Commissioners
(PCCs) and Mayors in different corners of the country have driven
important local work on crime prevention, which the Home Office
must take a more active role in supporting. In terms of
preventing crime, we are driving new action from curbing knife
sales to tackling mobile phone theft, but we need to go much
further both locally and nationally for the Mission to be met.
To drive up performance and standards and ensure communities can
have confidence in their local police force, a new Performance
Unit will be established in the Home Office. The Unit will
harness national data to monitor performance and direct
improvements, underpinned by a performance framework developed
with the College of Policing, policing inspectorate (HMICFRS),
National Police Chiefs' Council and PCCs.
We are determined to work with policing to consult on the
creation of a new National Centre of Policing to bring together
crucial support services, such as IT and forensics, that local
police forces can draw upon, to raise standards and improve
efficiency. Looking further ahead, and having heard
representations from policing, we will explore additional
opportunities to expand the remit of this new body, including
around those operational responsibilities where effective
coordination is critical for success.
The 2025-26 police funding settlement for police forces,
including full details on government grant funding and precept,
will be set out to Parliament in the normal way before Christmas.
But as part of that settlement, I am confirming today that direct
central government funding for policing next year will increase
by over half a billion pounds. This includes an increase of over
£260m in the core grant for police forces, and additional funding
for neighbourhood policing and counter terrorism. The Ministry of
Housing Communities and Local Government will confirm the details
on the precept limit in a policy statement later this month.
Next steps
Police leaders support the need for reform and the Government is
committed to working with them to bring the change needed to
reconnect policing with the communities they serve. These key
areas for reform are pivotal if we are to deliver effective and
efficient policing. Collaboration will be key, and the Home
Office will continue to engage across Government and with the
sector in developing this ambitious reform programme. We will
present our White Paper to Parliament next year ahead of
legislation in due course.
We have a unique opportunity ahead of us to shape and implement
the changes policing needs to deliver our priorities and keep the
public safe. I look forward to working with policing on this
ambitious programme of reform.
