Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood
The reforms, which the Government describes as the largest in two centuries, have been set out by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood (pictured).
The proposed changes are part of the Government’s white paper on police reform, From local to national: a new model for policing.
What are the key takeaways from the policing white paper?
Biggest policing overhaul in 200 years
- The Government has billed the proposed changes as the most radical reform of policing since it was professionalised.
- The aim is for stronger neighbourhood policing, and to strengthen the national capability against serious and complex crime.
Force mergers
- A review will be launched into dramatically reduce the number of police forces in England and Wales.
- The goal is to cut duplication, save money, and reduce fragmentation.
- Savings and efficiencies are intended to be reinvested directly into frontline policing.
National Police Service (NPS)
- A new nationwide police force will tackle the most serious and complex crimes.
- Capabilities of the National Crime Agency, Counter Terrorism Policing, regional organised crime units, police helicopters and national roads policing into one organisation.
- Led by a national police commissioner, the most senior officer in the country.
- Designed to free local forces to focus on everyday crime and victim support.
NPS control of forensics and procurement
- The NPS will take responsibility for forensics from the 43 forces.
- The aim is to address huge digital backlogs, around 20,000 devices awaiting analysis, and to help keep up with changes in technology.
- Centralised procurement will replace 43 separate buying systems.
- Expected to save £350 million, reinvested into frontline crime fighting.
Accountability and standards
The Home Secretary will gain new powers to:
- Intervene in failing forces.
- Send in specialist turnaround teams.
- Force the retirement, resignation, or suspension of poorly performing chief constables.
Forces will be set targets on:
- 999 response times.
- Victim satisfaction.
- Public trust and confidence.
- HMICFRS will gain statutory powers to enforce improvements.
Individual officers
- Mandatory, robust vetting standards across all forces.
- These will allow forces to exclude those with convictions or cautions for violence against women and girls (VAWG).
- Stronger requirements on forces to suspend officers under investigation for VAWG.
- Introduction of a Licence to Practise.
- Officers required to hold and renew the licence throughout their career.
- Officers who fail to meet standards can be removed from policing.
Neighbourhood policing
- New national response-time targets:
- 15 minutes in cities and 20 minutes in rural areas for serious incidents.
- 999 calls answered within 10 seconds.
- Every council ward will have named, contactable officers.
- Restore visible patrols as part of the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee.
University recruitment
- Focus on attracting ‘the brightest and best’ graduates into specially trained graduate neighbourhood police officer roles.
- Modelled on Teach First and backed by £7 million.
Organised retail crime
- £7 million investment to tackle organised retail crime.
- Intelligence-led policing to identify offenders, disrupt their tactics, and catch more criminals.
Technology
- More than £140 million invested in police technology.
- Live facial recognition vans increased five-fold, with 50 vans available in England and Wales.
- Artificial intelligence tools to analyse CCTV, doorbell and phone footage.
- Creation of a national AI centre called Police.AI. It will:
- Free officers from paperwork.
- Delivering back 6 million hours per year, equivalent to 3,000 officers.
- More tech specialists to fight fraud, organised crime, and online abuse.
Public order
- New senior policing role to lead nationwide responses to public disorder.
- Sitting in the new NPS, they will co-ordinate responses to major incidents.
Powers to:
- Direct resources under mutual aid.
- Ensure mandatory data sharing.
- Set national public order policing strategy.
- Monitor and implement relevant HMICFRS recommendations.
- Local responses remain with chief constables.
Wellbeing
- Expanded rollout of a Mental Health Crisis Line for officers and staff.
- Annual psychological risk screenings for front-facing and high-risk roles.
- Trauma-tracking software for early intervention.
- Mandatory resilience and mental health training for new recruits and supervisors.
Special Constabulary
- Number of Specials fallen 73% since 2012, from 20,343 to 5,534 in March 2025.
- Targeted recruitment of specialists in cybersecurity and technology.
- Streamlined recruitment process for Specials, while maintaining standards of vetting and training.
- Better integration and incentives to retain Specials after years of decline.