New board set up to oversee further police reform

The board will oversee five priorities for reform:

• local policing;
• specialist capabilities like armed policing and organised crime investigation;
• digital policing;
• building a workforce with the right skills for the future;
• improving collaboration in business support services.

Winston Roddick QC, Chair of the Police Reform and Transformation Board and Police and Crime Commissioner for North Wales said:

“The Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act introduced some very fundamental changes in the governance of the police service – probably the most radical since Robert Peel created the police service as we know it.  What is clear is that further reforms are necessary and the principal role of this Board will be to oversee and influence those changes.”

National Police Chiefs' Council Chair Sara Thornton said:

"Since 2010, there has been considerable reform within policing - the establishment of the College of Policing and the National Crime Agency, directly elected local police and crime commissioners and an operationally focused National Police Chiefs' Council. But there is more to do.

"Changing crime and an evolving terrorist threat necessitate different responses and new methods of investigation as well as a more coordinated policing landscape than we currently have. We also need to do more to ensure our staff are equipped to deal with the changing demand, modernise how we communicate with the public and make greater savings on ICT and procurement. Leaders from across the policing landscape have come together to drive this wide ranging and ambitious reform agenda.”

Mike Penning, Minister for Policing, Fire, Criminal Justice & Victims, said:

“Police reform is working - policing is more accountable, transparent and efficient under this Government. But there are still huge opportunities for police forces to work together to improve their capabilities, make greater use of technology, collaborate with other emergency services, and drive better joint working across the criminal justice system.

“As the Home Secretary told chief constables and Police and Crime Commissioners last year, there is no excuse whatsoever not to deliver the next stage of reform. Police leaders must work together to drive collaboration and better alignment of capabilities for the good of policing as a whole. I am pleased to see that policing is grasping this challenge and thinking not just about incremental reform but fundamental transformation. I hope this board, led by operational leaders and Police and Crime Commissioners, can help to deliver that.”

The board met for the first time on February 23 and is an unincorporated, voluntary association of its members who will work collaboratively to reform policing for the benefit of the public.  Its purpose is to oversee and support the change to ensure it is coherent and provides the best service to the public, working with the NPCC coordination committees, APCC standing groups, Home Office forces and the National Crime Agency.

The board is chaired by PCC Winston Roddick, Chair of the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners with the following members: 

• NPCC Chair Sara Thornton
• Three PCCs: North Yorkshire PCC Julia Mulligan, Northumbria PCC Vera Baird, Gloucestershire PCC Martin Surl
• Three chief constables: Chief Constable Leicestershire Simon Cole, Chief Constable Essex Stephen Kavanagh, Chief Constable West Midlands David Thompson
• Metropolitan Police representative: Deputy Commission Craig Mackey
• Other policing bodies representative – Member of the City of London’s Police Committee Simon Duckworth  
• Chief Executive College of Policing: Alex Marshall
• Director General National Crime Agency: Lynne Owens
• Director General Crime & Policing Group (Home Office): Mary Calam
• Her Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary (observer) – Sir Tom Winsor

The establishment of the board builds on recommendations of Reshaping policing for the public  (NDAG; 2015), the Financial Sustainability of police forces in England and Wales (National Audit Office; 2015) and the Independent Review of ACPO (Parker; 2013).