Police Superintendents' Association response to the report from Reform due to be published on Thursday

Wednesday, 25 February 2009 12:00 AM

Association Vice President, Chief Superintendent Derek Barnett, said: 'I am pleased that Reform has acknowledged the high reputation that UK policing has internationally and the excellent standards of integrity and commitment of the men and women who serve their communities across all police forces in England & Wales often in difficult and challenging circumstances. Overall, however, the report is unduly pessimistic about the governance and operational performance of the Police Service.

'Crime has consistently fallen, in particular the offences of burglary and violence; the record of the police in countering the terrorist threat is exemplary and neighbourhood policing continues to be delivered and expanded across all police forces. Increasingly police forces are collaborating more closely at a regional level to tackle serious crime and other critical incidents. Yet we must acknowledge the findings of Her Majesty's Inspector of Constabulary in the 2005 'Closing the Gap' report that the current structure of policing inhibits better delivery of protective services, and that we must strive, particularly in difficult economic circumstances, to provide the best possible value for money.

'Our system of policing founded at the local level and delivered by largely unarmed police officers, and the tri-partite structure of accountability that underpins it is a tried, tested, and successful model that is envied across the world. Before we embark on radical change, we should have a common understanding and cross party political consensus about the role, purpose and future of policing in England and Wales.

'Reform are to be congratulated in highlighting the tremendous changes to the environment in which modern policing is expected to operate. There has not been any significant change to the policing structures in over 30 years, and this paper "A New Force" is a useful attempt to promote innovative thinking about policing in the 21st Century.

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