Shabana Mahmood prepared to rip up police force structure to end policing 'postcode lottery'
Policing is “a postcode lottery” and the 43-force structure is “irrational”, the Home Secretary has said, in a sign she is prepared to increase the size of forces.
Shabana Mahmood told a major policing conference in Westminster yesterday that critical functions like the air service and vetting have been loaded on to the 43 geographical forces, diverting their attention from neighbourhood policing.
Speaking at the National Police Chiefs’ Council and Association of Police and Crime Commissioners summit, she said: “The structure of our police forces is, if we are honest, irrational.
“We have loaded critical functions like the national police air service and vetting onto local forces, drawing attention away from neighbourhood policing.
“We have 43 forces tackling criminal gangs who cross borders, and the disparities in performance in forces across the country have grown far too wide, giving truth to the old saw that policing in this country is a postcode lottery.”
Her comments are the biggest sign yet that the Government is prepared to increase the size of certain police forces across England and Wales.
Police chiefs have already called for radical reform of the 43-force structure, backing a system with fewer, larger forces.
Speaking after the conference yesterday afternoon, chair of the National Police Chiefs Council Gavin Stephens said the existing 43-force structure is no longer affordable.
West Yorkshire is the fourth biggest force in England, after the Met, Greater Manchester and West Midlands Police, with more than 6,000 officers.
However, North Yorkshire and Cleveland are some of the smallest forces with around 1,500 officers each.
Despite the size and nature of the country, North Yorkshire Police can only allocate 1 per cent of its officers to its dedicated Rural Crime Taskforce.
A white paper is due to be published in the coming weeks outlining government plans for police reform, with forces facing a £1.2bn budget shortfall.
South Yorkshire Police has a £65m hole in its budget, with Mayor Oliver Coppard hoping to get some extra funds from Chancellor Rachel Reeves next week.
The mammoth shortfall was left by South Yorkshire’s Office of the Police Crime Commissioner (PCC) when handing over to the combined authority.
Earlier this week, Ms Mahmood announced she was axing all PCCs, saying the role had created additional bureaucracy and hindered joint work between forces.
Ms Mahmood told delegates: “I believe the position of a Police and Crime Commissioner, unfortunately, has not worked.
“Without necessary investment in creating a public profile, too many voters were unaware of the existence of the position, or its occupant.”
PCCs will be axed in 2028, when their responsibilities will either be taken on by mayors or deputy mayors, or policing boards.