Labour has announced sweeping changes to policing in England and Wales, granting the home secretary the power to sack chief constables and set crime-fighting targets. Critics warn the plan risks unprecedented centralisation of authority.
The white paper outlines the creation of a National Police Service (NPS), dubbed the British FBI, but key measures will take years to implement. Counter-terrorism will not move to the NPS until 2029 or later, and mergers of the 43 local forces are not expected to complete before 2034.
Home secretary Shabana Mahmood said policing had gone unreformed for 50 years. However, former chief constable Peter Fahy warned that a future government could politicise the NPS, comparing risks to the situation in Minnesota where local and state police clashed. Emily Spurrell, chair of the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, called the planned structure “constitutionally alien”.
Mahmood told the Commons the reforms would create an elite national force, regional specialist units, and stronger local policing. Shadow home secretary Chris Philp countered that officer numbers had fallen by 1,000 under Labour.
