Police Reform
Background to Police Reform
Find out why there was a need for police reform and what we hope it will achieve.
Questions answered
Why is there a need for police reform?
The challenges of crime and anti-social behaviour are enormous. Levels of crime, although falling, remain too high and detection rates too low. The police want to reduce public fear of crime and do more to build public confidence. This is being done through the police reform programme and reforms to the criminal justice system.
Further measures now seek to push the programme forward. Underpinning this is the civil renewal agenda – the belief in strong, empowered and active communities. The government wants to create a police service which is more responsive to local needs and to clarify confusing police accountability arrangements, as well as creating a service better able to deal with higher level crime which goes across force boundaries.
Who is involved?
Discussions have been taking place with various stakeholders including the following:
- Home Office (new window)
- The public and local community groups
- Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) (new window)
- Association of Police Authorities (APA) (new window)
- Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) (new window)
- Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) and its equality adviser
- Police Superintendents’ Association of England and Wales (PSAEW) (new window)
- Police Federation (new window)
- UNISON (new window) who represent Police staff nationally
- Crime Reduction & Community Safety Group (CRCSG)
What’s on the agenda?
Police Reform must help meet the following challenges:
- Providing a citizen-focused service to the public, especially victims and witnesses, which responds to the needs of individuals and communities and inspires confidence in the police
- Tackling anti-social behaviour and disorder
- Continuing to reduce burglary, vehicle crime, robbery and drug related crime
- Combatting serious and organised crime, both across and within force boundaries
- Narrowing the justice gap by increasing the number of offences brought to justice
- Better leadership and training
- Optimising police use of science and technology
- A better deal on occupational health
- Modernising police regulations and all terms and conditions
- Ensuring all staff have high quality terms and conditions
- Performance management
Does this affect police pay / pensions?
Agreement on an historic package of changes to police pay and conditions of service was reached in the Police Negotiating Board on 9 May 2002.
On 11 December 2003 the Home Office produced a consultation document for a new police pension scheme. Officers were given until 11 March 2004 to register their views on the new scheme.
Following agreement in the Police Negotiating Board, the New Police Pensions Scheme 2006 (abbreviated to NPPS), was introduced on 6 April 2006 and new entrants to the service from that date have joined the new scheme. For more information, please visit our police pensions section.
Why no Royal Commission?
Areas where work can and should be taken forward have already been identified. A Royal Commission would have taken too long and wasn’t really necessary.
Constant change gets in the way of the police fighting crime
The challenges of crime are changing, and growing and so are society’s expectations of the police. The service must expand and develop, the police service themselves believe that reform and modernisation are essential to fight 21st century crime.
Will you make all forces use the same equipment / technical facilities?
It should only be necessary to designate such products where there is a business advantage (eg in terms of crime reduction) in a number of forces, and sometimes all forces, having common systems.
Police forces will be included in the discussion about which systems are 'core' to their business, and will have signed up to products before they are centrally specified. Central funding will be part of the consideration of this approach.
It may also be necessary for the Home Secretary to be able to prohibit the use of certain classes of equipment where there are concerns about their safety or appropriateness for police use.
Why change the complaints system?
The police complaints system is managed by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), which replaces the Police Complaints Authority. It is designed to be fair, open and to improve communication with complainants and staff complained against. This leads to quicker, more proportionate and effective investigations and command greater public confidence.
What’s wrong with the existing police regulations? Don’t they provide important protections for police officers?
Conditions of service must meet the proper needs of police officers and the need to provide an efficient and effective police service. Police regulations pre-date modern employment protection law, and no longer reflect today’s patterns of employment, or the needs of managers and officers.
Both managers and officers will benefit from a more flexible system recognising different career patterns and service needs.
