Humberside’s Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), Jonathan Evison, has vowed to ensure the region’s unique local needs are not sacrificed in a move toward centralisation. This week, the Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, announced major reforms to policing in England and Wales, including the establishment of a new National Police Service (NPS).
A new white paper outlines the Government’s plans to reduce the number of police forces across the country, invest in state-of-the-art policing technologies, and introduce a nationwide police force which will fight the most complex and serious crime. The NPS, the Government say, will lift the burden on overstretched local police forces, allowing them to focus on local crime.
The NPS will bring the capabilities of the National Crime Agency, Counter Terrorism Policing, regional organised crime units, police helicopters, and national roads policing under a single organisation. A national police commissioner will be appointed to lead the force and will serve as the most senior police officer in the country.
Under new reforms, response officers will be expected to reach the scene of the most serious incidents within 15 minutes in cities and 20 minutes in rural areas, and forces will be expected to answer 999 phone calls within 10 seconds. Where forces fail to deliver, the Home Secretary will send in experts from the best performing forces to improve their performance, including when unmet response‑time targets are part of broader systemic failing.
Addressing the House of Commons, Ms Mahmood told MPs the reforms set out in the white paper are “long overdue”. “The world has changed dramatically since policing was last fundamentally reformed over 60 years ago. Policing remains the last great unreformed public service,” she said.
While welcoming the move towards modernised national standards, Humberside’s PCC, Mr Evison, has raised concerns over the centralisation of policing and has vowed to ensure the region’s unique local needs are not sacrificed. The PCC said that regional mergers of police forces could risk Humberside losing resources to larger areas.
He has said: “In Humberside, I haven’t waited for a white paper to tell us to prioritise our residents. We have built a high-performing force that is the envy of many. The expertise we have gained in managing this growth is directly transferable to a national model, but it must not come at the cost of local accountability.
“My message to the people of Hull, the East Riding, and Northern Lincolnshire is simple: Governance may evolve, but the mission remains the same. I will continue to advocate strongly for your interests, ensuring that reforms enhance – not diminish – the quality, responsiveness, and accountability of policing at the local level.”
While still in the early months of her time as Home Secretary, Ms Mahmood has been no stranger to substantial announcements. In November, she announced that Police and Crime Commissioners were to be abolished, claiming the role has been a “failed experiment.”
The transition to a new Police and Crime Board model will take place by the end of the current PCC election cycle in 2028. Mr Evison has expressed scepticism of this transition, warning that replacing a single, visible, and democratically elected PCC with a multi-member board could dilute the link between the taxpayer and the police.
By: Andrew Spence, LDRS
