Top police leaders and experts caution that Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood’s sweeping police reforms could undermine efforts to combat crime. The plans call for consolidating the current 43 forces in England and Wales into fewer regional units with redefined boundaries, while establishing a new national police service to operate alongside them.
Concerns Over Neighbourhood Policing
Police leaders support several aspects of the reforms but highlight risks to neighbourhood policing, a cornerstone in tackling organised crime groups involved in drug trafficking and mobile phone thefts. HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services, in a submission to a parliamentary inquiry, stresses the need for safeguards.
“Further measures are needed to ensure police reform strengthens the local approach to serious and organised crime rather than creating new gaps. The new model should explicitly protect neighbourhood policing,” the inspectorate states.
Forces must retain sufficient neighbourhood officers, preventing frequent reassignments that disrupt core duties. Local teams play a key role in spotting vulnerabilities, addressing antisocial behaviour, and fostering community ties for vital intelligence.
The inspectorate warns that larger regional forces might erode these efforts. “These functions are critical to early SOC detection and can’t be substituted by regional or national units,” it notes.
Critical Role in Organised Crime Prevention
Neighbourhood policing remains essential for preventing and disrupting serious organised crime, as it stays closest to communities, identifies harm early, and gathers intelligence on criminal networks. Inspections reveal that neighbourhood teams serve as the primary intelligence source, using local knowledge and trust to stabilise high-risk areas post-enforcement and prevent crime groups from regaining control.
London’s Metropolitan Police links everyday offences like robbery, theft, burglary, and shoplifting to organised crime networks. “Phone theft is an example of what can often be seen to be a lower-level crime that is linked to Organised Crime Groups, who are operating overseas and exploiting children, to steal phones from across London,” the force submits to the Home Affairs Committee.
The Metropolitan Police notes the Home Office’s pledge for 13,000 additional neighbourhood personnel before the next election lacks funding details. Delivering this would demand 1,900 to 2,100 full-time equivalent officers in later years, plus 399 in 2026-27, potentially destabilising operations and requiring further cuts.
While supportive overall, the force flags implementation challenges as “contentious, complex or risky.”
Funding Calls from Police Chiefs
The National Police Chiefs’ Council emphasises bolstering local policing, including 13,000 neighbourhood personnel by 2029. “Policing welcomes this, but to deliver this in an effective and meaningful way requires sufficient, consistent and enduring funding,” it tells MPs.
Home Office Response
A Home Office spokesperson describes the changes as the largest policing restructure in two centuries, equipping officers to apprehend criminals, reduce crime, and safeguard the public. Stakeholders across policing have endorsed the reforms, which aim to enhance neighbourhood presence, ensure response times, and expand patrols.
More than 3,000 additional officers and PCSOs have joined neighbourhood roles in under a year, with commitment to reach 13,000 by the end of the current parliament.
