Delivering change with the right oversight

By Emily Spurrell, APCC Chair

At the APCC and NPCC national policing Summit conference in November last year, the Home Secretary announced ambitious plans for policing reform in England and Wales. This included a new national police performance unit to monitor local performance, a national centre for policing with responsibility for key capabilities including technology and forensics and a commitment to minimum local policing standards, along with improved visibility of officers on our streets as a result of a new Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee that will deliver an additional 13,000 officers over the course of this parliament backed by £200m of ringfenced funding. 

Details of the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee have since been announced alongside 3000 additional officers being invested into Neighbourhood Policing teams. Police and Crime Commissioners and Deputy Mayors are instrumental to local delivery of these. Details for the new national centre and performance unit will be fleshed out in a widely anticipated white paper on policing reform expected later this summer.  

While there is wide sector support for police reform and acknowledgement of the potential to improve policing standards and performance, and to drive efficiencies, their careful governance and oversight is key to ensuring they deliver for the public.  

In order to improve trust and confidence in policing we must ensure that there are sufficient checks and balances for these new national policing organisations with effective scrutiny and oversight. PCCs and their equivalents, as the directly elected voice of the public in policing, expect to play a leading role in the new governance arrangements for these national bodies in which public money and expectation will be invested. This is imperative, not just to ensure public representation in policing oversight but also because the impact of these bodies in delivery will be experienced locally.  

Local and national 

It is essential that local policing initiatives, investment and legitimacy are not lost in this move to greater centralisation. By working extensively with their communities and local partners, PCCs are able to identify and target the greatest areas of concern and respond quickly. The role of PCCs in commissioning services to support victims of crime, ensuring that the safety of women and girls is made a priority and pursuing a collaborative approach to combating shop theft, for example, all demonstrate that successful innovation and delivery often takes place at a local level. Police and Crime Commissioners and Deputy Mayors are the obvious partners to deliver locally on key national policing strategies and to hold chief constables to account for their force’s delivery.  

This is particularly true with the hugely anticipated comprehensive spending review imminent. We are fully aware of the enormous pressures on the public purse, and the indications are policing will receive a real terms funding increase – although we wait to see whether that will be sufficient for delivery of the Government’s Safer Streets mission. We recognise, too, the huge opportunity for modernisation and the potential efficiencies that could be delivered through reform: the centralisation of certain policing functions to deliver value for money, and the wider use of technologies such as artificial intelligence which are increasingly important in both fighting crime and freeing up police time. However, this must be shaped by the needs of local communities and appropriately scrutinised by PCCs and Mayors.  

These tensions should not be in conflict. Centralisation can enable successful local innovations to be rolled out rapidly across all forces in England and Wales.  And important Government policing and crime objectives – are delivered locally, again with the coordination and oversight of PCCs.  

A sustainable funding settlement  

Our shared ambitions for change are neither quick nor simple, but that must not deter us. We remain committed to delivering for the public, and achieving a sustainable funding settlement is central to that mission. It’s what communities expect and deserve, and it’s what people and places need to feel safe and thrive. This pivotal moment of reform and transformation must also prompt a broader review of how policing is funded. We have a rare opportunity to rethink the system – to ensure it is fit for purpose, equitable, and aligned with the long-term needs of modern policing. That opportunity should not be missed. 

We are committed to the changes that the Home Secretary’s police reform agenda brings, and we must take this once in a generation chance to get it right. Change is critical, but alongside greater policing powers at the centre comes the need for the appropriate checks and balances.    

PCCs welcome the opportunity to work hand in hand with government and policing partners to deliver these vital changes and drive meaningful progress. Together, we are committed to building a safer society – one where accountability, transparency, and public trust are at the heart of everything we do. We are proud to play our part in shaping a future that truly serves and protects our communities. 

This article first appeared in Policing Insight