A regional police chief has said the public must be able to contribute to major policing reforms, writes Local Democracy Reporter, Bill Edgar.
Joy Allen, Durham’s Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), welcomed the government’s plan to overhaul services but warned about the impact it could have on the public’s trust in policing.
The move comes as part of major changes revealed in the Government’s White Paper on police reforms, which seeks to create a “British FBI” called the National Police Service (NPS) and ensure that every local council ward will have its own, contactable police officer.
Police forces in England and Wales will be “significantly reduced” from 43 by the end of the next parliament, with the new, larger forces divided into local areas corresponding with cities, towns and boroughs.
The roles of police and crime commissioners will also be axed in 2028.
Reacting to the announcement, Durham’s PCC, Joy Allen said: “The Government’s policing White Paper sets out an ambitious agenda for reform. Those ambitions should be welcomed. Policing does need to evolve, but reform of this scale must be grounded in evidence, consent and clarity, not a belief that structural change is, in itself, progress.”
Earlier this week, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood set out how the policing structures are “outdated” and called policing the “last great unreformed public service”.
But plans to potentially merge forces have been opposed by several North East leaders, including the Durham Police Federation, which warned community relations could be impacted if it merged with Northumbria and Cleveland.
Cleveland PCC Matt Storey is also against the idea, saying all three forces already face funding difficulties and a potential merger would not solve the issue.
For Joy Allen, a proper process and consultation are required for the wide-scale changes to work.
She added: “Radical reform without evidence, transparency or public consent risks breaking the very bond that policing depends on. 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.”
Bill Edgar
Reporter for the Local Democracy Reporter Service.
South West Durham News covering news across County Durham.
