There are currently 43 different forces that make up UK police, with 43 different commissioners, 43 different sets of uniforms, 43 different procurement functions, 43 different IT systems and 43 different chains of command.

Officers must work with antiquated and incompatible IT systems, and analogue records in a digital world, with no coherent plan for efficient and effective upgrades and integration.

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Many officers are woefully inexperienced or untrained when it comes to digital crime such as cyber-bullying, phishing, online radicalisation, cyber-stalking, cyber-fraud, AI misuse, hacking, the dark web, catfishing, identity theft and illegal pornography.

We have limited divisions with deep specialisms and national strategies, while the range and complexity of challenges our officers face each day is over-whelming: anti-social behaviour, cyber-offences, car crime, rape victims, drug dealing, traffic accidents, racial discrimination, sexual assault, knife crime, crowd control, child or elder abuse, traffic stops and suicides could all potentially be on the agenda on any particular day.

The SPP proposes a radical restructure, with a 75% reduction in the number of forces, from 43 to just ten, and the creation of six nationally led specialist divisions.

 

The proposed specialist divisions, which would each have separate training routes following an initial period of basic training common to all recruits, are: Cybercrime, Traffic Enforcement, Financial Crime, Physical Crime, Serious Organised Crime and Terrorism.

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We believe that these changes would allow a more flexible, specialised, co-ordinated, efficient policing service that delivers better results, social outcomes and value for money.