In a sweeping move to overhaul failing police forces, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has been granted new powers to directly hold chief constables accountable. This follows the fallout from the West Midlands Police’s handling of the Aston Villa vs Maccabi Tel Aviv match, where an independent report found the force had manufactured evidence to justify banning Israeli fans.
Mahmood expressed her frustration at being unable to dismiss former West Midlands police chief Craig Guildford, whom she had lost confidence in over his leadership during the controversial match. Under the new measures, police forces will be made directly answerable to the Home Secretary, who will also have the power to dispatch specialist teams to struggling departments.
Additionally, the government will introduce mandatory vetting standards for all police personnel, after a review uncovered over 130 officers and staff within the Metropolitan Police who had committed crimes or misconduct due to flaws in the vetting process. This includes the case of serial rapist David Carrick, who was improperly vetted in 2017.
The sweeping reforms, outlined in a white paper titled “From local to national: a new model for policing”, aim to improve crime-fighting capabilities, boost public trust and accountability. Forces will now face new targets on 999 response times, victim satisfaction, and public confidence, with the results published for communities to compare.
The changes represent the biggest overhaul of policing in two centuries, with the Home Secretary granted powers previously surrendered by the Conservatives in 2011 when they created elected police commissioners. Experts have described the white paper as a “defining moment” for the government, urging it to deliver “visible order, real capability and consistent competence” to restore public confidence in the police.
