Rowley Urges 8-10 Regional Police Forces as England's 43-Force Model 'Heads for Failure'
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Nov 6
Rowley Urges 8-10 Regional Police Forces as England's 43-Force Model 'Heads for Failure'
3 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Nov 6
Summary
Eight to 10 regional forces backed by a new National Police Service are at the center of Sir Mark Rowley’s warning that policing in England and Wales is “heading for failure” without urgent reform.
Rowley says 43 overstretched forces cannot match organised crime, fraud, cybercrime and online child abuse networks that already operate across regional and international borders.
The proposed three-tier model would keep local commands for neighbourhood policing, pool specialist resources regionally and assign the most serious crimes to a national service, which he says could free thousands of roles for the frontline.
Funding pressure underpins the case: policing spending has fallen to about 0.7% of GDP from 0.9% since 2010, while ageing technology, weaker outcomes and a 9% drop in public confidence have strained forces.
The overhaul follows a January consultation by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, but rural police commissioners and the APCC have challenged whether cutting 43 forces to regional “mega-forces” is the best route to modernisation.