Met chief warns policing 'heading for failure' without reform
Summary
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley plans to call for urgent changes to policing in England and Wales, saying the current system struggles to address modern crime. He proposes replacing the 43-force structure with local policing commands, eight to 10 regional forces and a National Police Service.Key Facts
- Rowley says organised crime, fraud, cybercrime and online child abuse increasingly cross regional and international borders.
- He argues that merging forces could reduce duplicated work and free thousands of roles for frontline policing.
- Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood launched a consultation in January that included a possible merger of the 43 forces and a National Police Service.
- The Association of Police and Crime Commissioners supports modernisation and a National Police Service but questions whether reducing the number of forces is the right approach.
- Some rural police and crime commissioners say the merger plans could favour larger forces.
- The Home Office says the policing model has not changed since the 1960s and is no longer fit for purpose.
- Rowley says policing spending has fallen from about 0.9% of GDP to 0.7% since 2010, and that positive outcomes and public confidence have declined.
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