Suffolk Police and Crime Commissioner raises concerns over plans for national policing overhaul
He warns the plans could weaken local accountability and risk undermining services in rural areas.
Suffolk’s Police and Crime Commissioner has voiced concerns about proposed national policing reforms, warning they could weaken local accountability and risk undermining services in rural areas.
The comments follow the publication of a Government White Paper setting out what ministers describe as the most significant modernisation of policing in nearly 200 years. Plans include creating a National Police Service and reducing the number of forces, alongside introducing 13,000 more neighbourhood officers and expanding the use of technology.
Tim Passmore said while reform is necessary, he is not convinced the proposals would benefit Suffolk.
He said: “My big concern is I'm elected as Police and Crime Commissioner to look after the needs of Suffolk, which is absolutely fine. You have a democratic mandate, and we start in a good position in Suffolk.”
Mr Passmore pointed to recent figures, adding: “We've got very low levels of debt. We happen to have the third lowest recorded crime rate from the Office of National Statistics recently released data in the country and that's been the case for the last 18 months.”
He also highlighted existing collaboration with neighbouring forces, saying: “We have a deep collaboration with our colleagues up in Norfolk over the Waveney Valley. There's a lot that we do together, and between us, we are saving the taxpayer 57 million quid per year.”
How is it going to make Suffolk better?
The Government says reform is needed to tackle evolving crime, with fraud now accounting for a significant proportion of offences and around 90 per cent of crime believed to involve a digital element. Ministers argue a more coherent national structure would strengthen the response to serious and organised crime while allowing local forces to focus on neighbourhood policing.
Mr Passmore stressed he is not opposed to change but questioned whether larger forces would improve safety locally.
“I'm not against reform or change because things do need to adapt. Any well-run organisation should do that,” he said.
“But what I fail to see is how the creation of mega forces and the national force for doing various things is actually going to make Suffolk a better, safer place in which to live, work, travel and invest.”
He acknowledged some aspects of policing could benefit from national coordination, including vetting and technology.
“Certain things could be done better nationally,” he said, adding that having multiple approaches to vetting was “quite ridiculous” and that digital systems were currently “too fragmented.”
Concerns
However, he warned that merging forces could come at a cost.
“What really worries me about this, what I think is a wrong idea without any evidence or foundation, that big is better… you will lose that local contact,” he said.
“We're a very big rural area. The work we do in Norfolk will be compromised and will end up being dominated by large” urban forces.
The Government has said the White Paper represents the first stage of reform, with an independent review of police force structures due to report later this year.
Mr Passmore said that any major overhaul must retain public confidence: “For a really important public service like policing, it's not just about the money, it's that trust and confidence, that engagement, the adaptation.”
The commissioner also raised concerns about centralisation, saying: “I'm really, really worried that centralisation will destroy everything or potentially could destroy everything we've got. So governance, accountability is really, really important.”
Questioning whether the reforms would have public backing, he added: “Is this really what local people want? … I would be amazed if they do.”
The Home Office has said the reforms aim to create a service that is more rooted in local communities while strengthening national capabilities to tackle complex threats.
Further details are expected once the structural review reports back in the summer.