New Home Office unit announced: chair questions Government priorities

19 November 2024

The chair of North Yorkshire Police Federation has argued that government plans to open a Home Office unit ‘overlooks the real challenges police officers are facing’.

Rob Bowles has criticised today's announcement that the Government will be investing in a new unit, which will harness national data to monitor police performance and direct improvements.

Officer time spent on the frontline will also be monitored as part of the intelligence drive, drawing on local police data.

Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper made the announcement at this year's (Tuesday 19 November) annual conference hosted by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and Association for Police and Crime Commissioners.

Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper.

Reacting to the news, Rob has argued that the Government is risking wasting valuable resource that could be better spent directly supporting officers and improving force efficiency.

“Introducing yet another body to monitor police performance - in my opinion, is a misstep,” he said.

“We already have robust oversight from HMICFRS (His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services), which routinely reviews force effectiveness, and the IOPC (Independent Office for Police Conduct), which investigates any failings. What we need is meaningful investment in policing, not more bureaucracy.

Funding

“Performance isn’t going unchecked. What we need is not more oversight but practical solutions to the barriers officers face daily.

“Without this, we will continue to see experienced, good officers leaving the service.”

Rob made further calls to the Government to provide targeted funding, focussing on improving the working environment and boosting mental health within the Force.

“We’re asking officers to take on some of the most challenging roles in society. The mental health resources available to them must reflect the pressures they face,” he continued, adding: “The money spent on creating this new unit could instead be used to give officers the tools and training they need to do their jobs more effectively.

"Not only could the Government invest in creating a better workplace for officers, but they could look at the wider picture - and fund services that directly impact policing, like social services, improving the timeliness of the IOPC and the entire Criminal Justice System (CJS).

Communities

"That will make a real difference - not just to officers but to the communities they serve.”

The Government hopes that the unit, which is the first of its kind in over a decade, will help to rebuild relationships between the public and policing.

In her speech, the Home Secretary said: “This is a critical juncture for the future of policing. If, as a country, we are to remain equipped to fight the fast-changing challenges of today and tomorrow, then we know policing must evolve.

“We have a huge opportunity ahead of us to reset the relationship between government and the police, to regain the trust and support of the people we all serve and to reinvigorate the best of British policing.”

In a TV interview this morning, policing minister Dame Diana Johnson said: “This is the biggest suite of police reform since around the 1960s. It’s about restoring public confidence in policing.

“It’s about driving up performance and making sure that every pound we spend, we get really good value for it.”