Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has announced the biggest reforms to policing since the service was founded two centuries ago.
The Government will launch a review into dramatically reducing the number of police forces in England and Wales and create a new National Police Service to fight the most complex and serious crimes.
The plan intends to lift the burden on local forces by bringing the capabilities of the National Crime Agency, Counter Terrorism Policing, regional organised crime units, police helicopters and national roads policing under one organisation, sharing technology, intelligence and resources more easily.
Thames Valley Police chief constable Jason Hogg said he is “cautiously optimistic” about the plans. “I believe there is too much complexity and duplication of effort within policing, which is taking us away from what we are here to do,” he said, referring to protecting communities by fighting crime, serving victims and building trust.
“For this reason, I am cautiously optimistic about the proposed plans. “We need to remove barriers, improve consistency, and make sure we have the tools we need to meet modern challenges.”
The new National Police Service will aim to attract world-class talent and use state-of-the-art technology to tackle increasingly complex, digital and cross-border crime, allowing local forces to focus on neighbourhood policing and catching local criminals.
Mr Hogg added: “Criminality is constantly evolving, which means so does policing. Thames Valley Police is no stranger to innovation – it is part of our DNA.
“Several Initiatives that were born in our force have been rolled out nationally as best practice – for example to prevent knife crime, tackle violence against women and girls and the use Generative AI virtual assistant Bobbi to improve public contact.”
He acknowledged change can feel daunting for officers and communities. “My message is one of reassurance. First and foremost, the excellent standard of service we strive to provide for our communities is non-negotiable.
“At a local level, this is business as usual for us. Whatever the structural changes, we remain committed to delivering visible, responsive community-focused policing within the Thames Valley. Our focus is, and remains, on protecting our communities.”
The plans also include making live facial recognition vans available across England and Wales.
Niki Hinman, Local Democracy Reporter
