PFEW National Chair Steve Hartshorn said: “At the outset, I would like to thank Andy Cooke for the timely and realistic assessment of policing in England and Wales.

“Policing and the police service are indeed at a historic turning point, and HMICFRS is right when it says that ‘there is a limited window of opportunity to repair public trust’.

“There is no doubt that police officers want to provide the service the public deserve, and they go to great lengths in protecting the communities they serve, even putting their lives on the line of duty.

“This cannot be achieved without the Government and chief officers ensuring officers have access to the right resources. Our forces are struggling due to paucity of funds and the HMICFRS rightly identifies that ‘an abrupt, stop-start approach to police funding isn’t in the public interest’.

“We have said time and time and again that to address the systemic failings of our police service, change needs to start at the top. Police chiefs must lead by example and change the way we recruit and train officers.

“We recognise the HMICFRS recommends re-establishing involvement of the Inspectors of Constabulary in the selection and appointment of police chiefs. While police officer recruitment routes are being revised, it is only right the HMICFRS assists the Home Office in the crucial task of selecting and appointing leaders of the police forces.”

You can read the full report here.