There is a “crisis of confidence in policing in this country which is corroding public trust” and that “unless there is urgent change” this will “end up destroying the principle of policing by consent that has been at the heart of British policing for decades
Those are amongst the conclusions of the The Strategic Review of Policing in England and Wales, chaired by Sir Michael Barber and carried out by the Police Foundation
It contains 56 recommendations urging radical reform to police culture, skills and training and organisational structure.
Launching the Review’s final report at an event in London, Sir Michael Barber will say: “There is a crisis of confidence in policing in this country which is corroding public trust. The reasons are deep rooted and complex – some cultural and others systemic. However taken together, unless there is urgent change, they will end up destroying the principle of policing by consent that has been at the heart of British policing for decades.
“Policing in this country is at a crossroads and it cannot stand still whilst the world changes so quickly around it. Now is the moment to move forward quickly on the path of reform. The warning signs if we do nothing are flashing red and we ignore them at our peril.
The Review found that the police service has not kept pace with the changing patterns of crime while also having to deal with a huge rises in non-crime related demand
In 2021, 53% of all crime affecting people in England and Wales was fraud and cybercrime. Despite this, just 0.1% result in a charge or summons.
There has been a 240% increase in the numbers of rapes reported to the police and yet the percentage of rape cases resulting in a charge fell from 8.5% in 2015 to just 1.5% in 2021.
Detection rates generally have almost halved in the last seven years, falling from 17% all reported crimes resulting in a charge or summons in 2014 to just 9% today.
There was a 28% increase in mental health related incidents between 2014 and 2018 across 26 forces.
Around three million ‘investigation hours’ are dedicated to missing persons reports very year, the equivalent of 1,562 full time police officers per year or the number of police officers needed for North Yorkshire.
The report found that there needs to be an improvement in the relationship between the police and the public and includes a series of recommendations including,an increase in visible neighbourhood policing in every police force,Improved training and support for sergeants and inspectors so they are equipped to provide stronger supervision, tackle poor conduct and call out bad behaviour.
