Britain risks seeing a rise in crime and a reduction in frontline officers unless its policing model undergoes the most significant reform in half a century, according to Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley.
In a speech delivered in Manchester, Sir Mark is set to argue that the current structure of 43 police forces across England and Wales is outdated and unable to cope with modern threats. He proposes replacing it with a simpler structure of ten regional constabularies, which he believes would reduce bureaucracy and free up thousands of officers to be redeployed to frontline services.
"The real danger is not change, the real danger is standing still," Sir Mark plans to state, emphasizing that criminals have modernized faster than the institutions designed to apprehend them. He will highlight growing threats from cyber criminals, hostile states, and child abuse gangs, which operate across borders and exploit advancements in technology.
Sir Mark intends to advocate for a National Police Service focused on the most serious and complex crimes, supported by regional constabularies capable of handling major investigations like murder probes and organized crime. Hundreds of local policing commands would then work under this structure.
He is also expected to address the issue of underinvestment, which he claims forces police departments to spend excessive amounts on maintaining outdated computer systems while criminals leverage rapidly advancing technology. Additionally, he will note that officers are increasingly diverted from neighborhood policing to manage societal pressures in areas like mental health and social care.
"Policing has tried to keep up, made do as best it can to patch over our broken model," Sir Mark is expected to say. "But the model is creaking. We have 43 overstretched forces trying to do too much, with too little."
The Commissioner's call for reform comes amid mounting pressure on the wider criminal justice system. Earlier this year, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced plans for reform, including a National Police Service intended to save £350 million for frontline policing.