Police borders not fit for purpose, says chief inspector
SOPHISTICATED criminals are exploiting police borders, the chief inspector of police has warned, as he says the current system is “more suited to the Seventies and Life on Mars policing than 2020”.
Sir Tom Winsor, HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary, is to unveil plans in the new year to nationalise key police services because he says the current 43-force model in England and Wales is not fit for purpose. He said the disparity in size between forces and failings in communication and intelligence-sharing meant the structure was ill suited to tackle the “nastiest and most sophisticated organised crime gangs” such as county lines.
“When the 43 police force model was first devised in 1962 and fully implemented in 1974, policing was hugely different to what it is now in terms of transport and communications. The sophistication of most criminals was significantly less than it is now,” he said.
“A very large proportion of criminals are really quite stupid but not all, and the nastiest ones are the most sophisticated. The 43-force model might have been fit for purpose for the 1970s and Life on Mars but it is not suitable now.”
Reform of the 43 police force model is backed by the Police Federation, which represents rank and file officers in England and Wales. In a joint video presentation launched with Sir Tom, its chairman John Apter said: “Doing nothing is not an option.”
Under Sir Tom’s proposals – which are understood to have support in the Home Office, police chiefs would be required to adopt a US Congress-style voting system where they could agree standardised national policies, such as on intelligence, communications, IT and training. To avoid the biggest metropolitan forces dominating policymaking, there would be two “houses” as in the US, one with votes based on population, the second with two votes per force. Any policy would have to be approved by both houses.
Controversially, the Home Office would have a “golden vote” to decide on any deadlocked proposal, although Sir Tom noted that Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, already has an unused power under the 1996 Police Act to make regulations on policies, practices and procedures. “It achieves a single system operation in areas where a single operation is necessary without redrawing the map and without diverting or distracting people from the principal job of protecting the public,” said Sir Tom.
“Overall collaborations of police forces have not always worked nearly as well as they should have done. We have big disparities in terms of the police forces. Warwickshire is probably no bigger than a single London borough, yet it has a complete police force.”