Police chiefs react to reform plans

7 hours ago

Bill EdgarLocal Democracy Reporting Service

News image — Durham's PCC Joy Allen said the public should be consulted on the government's proposed reforms to policing

Durham Police and Crime Commissioner Joy Allen staring into the camera with her hands resting on a surface in front of her. She's got shoulder-length blonde hair and is wearing bright red lipstick. She's wearing a dark jacket that some people would say is blue and others green, with a matching skirt. She's standing in what looks like a police station. There are computers behind. — Durham's PCC Joy Allen said the public should be consulted on the government's proposed reforms to policing

Regional police chiefs have responded to the government's plan to overhaul the service.

Joy Allen, Durham's Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), welcomed change but warned about the impact it could have on the public's trust in policing and called for a consultation.

Cleveland Police's Chief Constable Victoria Fuller told BBC Radio Tees a new funding formula would be key to making the changes work.

The white paper outlines plans to reduce the number of forces in England by the end of the next parliament, with new, larger forces divided into local areas corresponding with cities, towns and boroughs.

The roles of police and crime commissioners (PCC) will also be axed in 2028.

Allen said policing "does need to evolve", but the Labour PCC warned changes must be "grounded in evidence, consent and clarity".

"Radical reform without evidence, transparency or public consent risks breaking the very bond that policing depends on," she said.

"These changes are too big, too important, and too far-reaching to be made behind closed doors.

"The public deserves a say in the future of their local policing and I will do everything I can to make sure they have one."

Cleveland Police Victoria Fuller has slicked back blonde hair and is wearing a white shirt and a black tie. — Cleveland Police's Chief Constable Victoria Fuller called for fairer funding across the region

Fuller said she would back policing reform if it was "done in the right way".

"A change to funding formula is going to be key to making sure all of our communities across the North East get the policing service that they deserve.

"The sooner we can get fairer funding across the North East, the better."

Plans to potentially merge forces have been opposed by several North East leaders, as well as the Durham Police Federation which warned community relations could be impacted if it merged with Northumbria and Cleveland.

Cleveland PCC Matt Storey, Labour, said he wanted the force to keep its independence.

Office of the Cleveland Police and Crime Commissioner Matt Storey standing in front of a police van. He has brown hair and a beard and is wearing glasses, a navy blazer and a light blue shirt with a dark tie. — Cleveland's PCC Matt Storey said a merger would not resolve funding issues

"I'd hate to lose that local connection between the force and the people that they serve," Storey said.

"I think also if you've got three cash-strapped forces in the North East coming together, you just end up with one larger cash-strapped force.

"If you fund us properly, then I think mergers can work, but, personally, I would like to see Cleveland stay out of this."

Fuller added: "We already collaborate on a lot of areas of policing in any event, so, done in the right way, we could really go from strength to strength."

As part of the changes, the Home Office is funding 40 more Live Facial Recognition vans.

There are also plans to set up a new National Centre for AI in policing, as well as National Police Service (NPS).

Referred to as the British FBI, the NPS would bring together the existing National Crime Agency (NCA) and Counter Terrorism Policing, as well as take in some functions currently carried out by the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC), the National Police Air Service (NPAS), and the College of Policing.

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