Chief Constable cautiously welcomes police reform white paper
At today’s Police and Crime Panel, Devon and Cornwall Police Chief Constable James Vaughan QPM welcomed the Government’s police reform white paper, which proposes an ambitious programme of changes to policing.
The Chief Constable and the Treasurer gave supporting statements for the PCC’s budget proposals for the next financial year, which were accepted by the panel. The PCC proposed an increase in the police part of next year’s council tax of £15 a year for an average B and D property. You can read more here >
The police reform white paper entitled ‘From local to national: a new model for policing’ outlines a number of changes including the Introduction of a new National Police Service (NPS) to bring together existing national bodies and deliver specialist capabilities to all forces, to help keep pace with changing threats.
Also proposed is an independent review of the number of police forces in England and Wales, which is expected to significantly reduce the number of forces. Other proposed changes can be found here >
Chief Constable James Vaughan QPM said: “Along with other Chief Constables, I have been calling for a significant police reform for a number of years and I am grateful to the Government for listening to us. Our current policing model was designed in the 1960s and where 90 percent of today’s crime has a digital element, the model does need to better reflect the world we now live in.
“We now face serious threats that are more resource intensive to tackle the most serious crimes such as child sexual abuse and drug smuggling, often both national and sometimes international in scale and more complex in nature.
“There is far more that forces could do together to focus our resources where they are most needed. For example, on issues such as procurement and purchasing for items like laptops, phones and uniform. Currently we have a complicated arrangement of regional collaborations, national agencies and funding streams which can sometimes be both inefficient and ineffective.”
Chief Constable Vaughan also welcomed the Government’s independent review of the number of police forces in England and Wales which is expected to result in a significant reduction but does urge a degree of caution.
He said: “I remain a strong advocate for fewer forces that are larger in scale, but it is vital that these retain a local flavour and are held locally accountable through their governance.
“I will always be an advocate for the communities of Devon and Cornwall and I am committed to ensuring that any potential merger with other forces benefits them and that will always be my main focus.
“Any changes must maintain or bolster resources on the frontline and benefit local policing. We must retain adequate resources across our two counties retaining officer numbers and local focus and that will continue to be my position throughout the coming months.
“The creation of larger forces brings benefits such as collaboration and better national decision making, but we must not lose the fundamental benefits of good local policing dealing with the issues that matter to the people of Devon and Cornwall. It is essential that we preserve and protect the links we have with our communities that can only be achieved by good local knowledge that empowers local policing.
“I will continue working with NPCC, Chief Constables and our partners as the white paper goes through the parliamentary process whilst understanding, along with the PCC, the impact of the proposals.”