Select committee: Home Affairs Committee
Conclusion 54
Fifth Report - Policing priorities
Published 10 Nov 2023
Paragraph 137
Addressed to Home Office
Home Affairs Committee Policing priorities All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Conclusion (the committee's words)
Crime and demand patterns change over time. Policing priorities need to reflect this these changed contexts. We are not convinced that the 43-force model facilitates an effective strategic response to change especially as forces develop different initiatives that do not always align. The understandable lack of appetite for major changes to that structure intensifies the need for the centre to provide the basic building blocks for an effective service. It therefore cannot be right that the Police Allocation Formula remains outdated. If a long-term funding settlement is not possible, commissioners and forces should at least have the information they need to make medium-term financial plans.
From: Home Affairs Committee, Fifth Report - Policing priorities (HC 635), paragraph 137, 10 November 2023
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 19 January 2024 (deadline 10 January 2024).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government's response sets out its priorities as to "cut crime, improve trust and confidence in policing and deliver justice and high-quality outcomes for victims", and responds to the Committee's recommendations individually, supporting some, leaving others to the sector and declining some.
- On a further independent review of the Met, the government points to Baroness Casey's timetable of progress reviews after two years and five years, saying "We would support a commitment to that timetable from the Mayor".
- On vetting, it believes the framework "should remain with the College" of Policing rather than being made statutory on transfer, and says it is for PCCs how they hold Chief Constables to account.
- On time limits for misconduct cases, it argues that targets "could potentially create perverse incentives for investigators to rush", and instead points to the August 2023 reforms it considers "likely to improve timeliness and efficiency".
- On the Right Care, Right Person approach, it commits to a joint evaluation with DHSC, with findings feeding into a report "due to be completed in Spring 2024, which we intend to publish".