Planned reforms “present opportunity to secure lasting change” for policing

In what is his third annual assessment of policing in England and Wales, Sir Andy Cooke has said now is the moment to make sure the Government’s Safer Streets mission and other policing reforms are properly funded, otherwise they risk falling short. They are vital to building the public’s trust and making communities safer.

There has been a renewed focus on neighbourhood policing to help police forces be more visible and responsive to community concerns. While further work is needed in this area, pledges such as the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee are welcomed and helping forces to strengthen their approach.

New structures proposed by (then) Home Secretary Yvette Cooper in November 2024, including a National Centre of Policing, should also help improve police procurement and access to technology and equipment. By centralising many support functions upon which forces rely, such as IT, this could improve consistency between forces and potentially lead to efficiency savings.

Public confidence

In previous ‘State of Policing’ reports, Sir Andy raised his concerns over the decline in public confidence in the police service. This year, he has said it’s promising that the evidence shows this appears to be levelling out, but policing must continue to make concerted efforts before public confidence starts to improve.

Sir Andy also mentioned ongoing challenges facing policing forces that he has previously highlighted in recent years, and which still need to be addressed. For example, modern policing continues to depend on the effective use of data and technology, yet many forces are relying on outdated systems and struggling with poor data management. Police forces haven’t kept pace with rapid advancements in technology, which if embraced, will bring opportunities to operate more efficiently and effectively.

Also, the absence of multi-year funding and capital grants for forces remains a major barrier to making some of the long-term planning and investments that the police service needs, for example in relation to buildings, equipment and technology. Police forces must embrace innovation to meet the policing challenges of the future.

The way in which funding for police forces is raised and distributed needs to change because it continues to be unfair and outdated. The police allocation formula, which is used to distribute central Government grants, has remained unchanged since 2013.

Further, there remain high levels of inexperience across the workforce, with officers and staff continuing to feel undervalued and experience low morale.

Sir Andy has also stressed the importance of good leadership and management. All police forces should be well led and managed to make sure they are efficient and effective. Key to this is making sure leaders are visible, set clear expectations, provide support and hold individuals to account.

Ambition for change

Sir Andy Cooke said: “At the end of last year, the (then) Home Secretary set out her plans for major reforms in policing and her intention to increase trust and confidence in the police. These reforms are welcome and required and I pay tribute to her personal commitment to driving forward police reform.”

He continued: “It’s clear across policing that there’s ambition for change to improve policing efficiency and effectiveness. Chief constables are working towards the Safer Streets mission with a collaborative approach and vigour.”

Sir Andy added: “However, the reforms require substantial upfront investment and sustained commitment to succeed. They must be sufficiently funded. Without enough money, there’s a risk that the ambitions of the Government and the police service will fall short, and that the much-needed reforms to policing either will not happen or will not succeed.”

Further, Sir Andy stated: “Police funding has increased, yet many forces remain under strain due to rising demand and a variety of cost pressures. As I have set out in previous reports, the way in which the funding is distributed still needs to change because it’s outdated and unfair. The absence of a capital grant for police forces remains a major barrier to making some of the long-term investments needed. In such a comprehensive and ambitious programme of reform, not reforming police funding would be a missed opportunity.”

On that note, he observed: “For example, police forces would benefit from some financial certainty, such as through a multi-year funding settlement that sets out how much forces can expect to receive.”

In closing his statement, Sir Andy explained: “Change is needed now for policing to improve the service it provides to the public and how it deals with the evolving challenges it faces. There is a great deal to do to build the public’s trust and make our communities safer. As the police service needs time and opportunity to make the necessary changes, I have chosen not to make any recommendations in my ‘State of Policing’ report this year.”

View from the NPCC

Commenting on the findings of His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary’s ‘State of Policing’ report, chief constable Gavin Stephens (chair of the National Police Chiefs Council) said: “We welcome the comments in Sir Andy Cooke’s report and the acknowledgement of many positive efforts within policing to improve the service we are providing to our communities.”

Stephens continued: “A decade of underinvestment has left police forces with insufficient resource to always meet public expectations. While policing will continue to respond to challenges which currently show no signs of slowing, the way in which policing is currently set up is unsustainable.”

Continuing this theme, Stephens observed: “That’s why urgent reform is absolutely essential if UK policing is to be able to deliver a modern, fit-for-purpose and cost-effective service to the public. We look forward to the Government’s White Paper on police reform setting out a bold and ambitious vision for policing so that we can be more effective in responding to rapidly changing threats posed to community safety.”

Stephens concluded: “Forces across England and Wales have made good progress in delivering better neighbourhood policing, including increasing the visibility of police on the streets and giving communities and businesses alike a greater voice and influence over local policing priorities.”

Police Federation responds

The Police Federation of England and Wales is “deeply concerned£ that the ‘State of Policing’ report underplays the reality of front line policing and the strain that Federation members face every day.

Progress on workloads, welfare, officer care and the Police Covenant remains “glacial”, suggests the Federation, and too often only shifts after a crisis. “That is neither acceptable nor sustainable.”

With new data showing a clear link between misconduct processes and police officer deaths by suicide, the Federation asserts that His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services must ensure a focus on this when looking at issues around police misconduct. “Accountability and welfare must go hand in hand. One cannot be pursued at the expense of the other.”

The report itself highlights the challenges: unmanageable investigative workloads, the daily risk of violence against officers and the shameful reality that 90% of funding for police treatment centres comes directly from officers’ own pockets rather than from the Government or forces themselves.

The Police Federation commented: “Challenges need solutions. If these annual assessments identify failings, but cannot mandate chief officers to implement solutions, they risk becoming meaningless.”

Tiff Lynch, national chair of the Police Federation of England and Wales, said: “The findings and issues raised in this report are disturbing and shaming. Officers are drowning under workloads, facing increasing daily violence and are even paying 90% of the cost of their own rehabilitation out of their own pockets.”

Lynch concluded: “In this context, it’s easy to understand why many officers have simply had enough. Unless Government and policing leaders put officer welfare and support at the heart of reform, the police service will continue to fail both its workforce and the public.”

*Read the report in full: State of Policing: The Annual Assessment of Policing in England and Wales 2024-2025