Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to review the structure of the territorial police forces in England and Wales, in particular regard to (1) the standard of performance, (2) public satisfaction, and (3) ensuring that the full range of expert services, subject to a proportionate and necessary senior command structure, is available throughout the country.
The Government has no current plans to review the structure of territorial police forces in England and Wales.
More can be done within the current organisational and leadership structures to improve police performance and ensure services meet public expectations.
The Government supports HMICFRS’ ongoing assessments of forces, measuring performance and identifying areas to improve. Through the Police Transformation Fund we have also supported collaboration arrangements, for example, via the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s Specialist Capabilities Programme which is developing new approaches for the provision of specialist capabilities across police force boundaries to tackle a range of criminality.