Shabana Mahmood has told MPs she wants to appoint the head of a new ‘British FBI’ as soon as possible – with the high-tech force set to be ready for launch by 2029.
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The Home Secretary said legislation to create the new National Police Service (NPS), which will lead on national organised crime and terrorism, is currently being drawn up. Ms Mahmood told the cross-party Home Affairs Committee she wants to have a new commissioner in place swiftly.
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She said: “It’s the intention that most of the operational readniness will be done by the end of this Parliament. I wish to appoint a commissioner-designate as quickly as possible once we’ve got the bill introduced to Parliament.”
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And Ms Mahmood told MPs that drafting of the Police Reform Bill – which will see the NPS set up alongside a shake-up of the 43 forces in England and Wales – is “well underway”.
In January Ms Mahmood announced the NPS would focus on putting Britain’s most dangerous criminals behind bars. She argued this would free up overstretched local forces to focus on crime in their area, such as anti-social behaviour which blights the lives of people across the country.
An independent review is currently being carried out into proposals to slash the number of police forces in England and Wales. But Ms Mahmood told MPs that the government’s position has changed since Andy Burnham became PM, with more emphasis on transferring power to regional leaders.
As Mayor of Greater Manchester, the Prime Minister was responsible for overseeing Greater Manchester Police. Ms Mahmood said: “The case for police reform remains unchanged. The case has been the same for some time. Now we have a system where we’ve got 43 police forces that have to be good at providing a local response and national-level functions… it’s very difficult to do both of these things to a sufficiently high standard.”
But she said former Met Police chief constable Lord Bernard Hogan-Howe will “re-test” the government’s evidence as part of a review of the government’s policing proposals. Ms Mahmood told MPs that setting up the NPS is expected to cost £340million, with two thirds of the money already committed.
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The rest will coming from the next spending review, she said. “I’m confident that the numbers are there and this is a fully-funded programme.”
In January Ms Mahmood said the sweeping reforms will also see the launch of Regional Crime Hubs, to go after criminals who operate across borders and commit the most serious and complex crimes.
She said at the time: “We will create a new National Police Service – dubbed ‘the British FBI’ – deploying world class talent and state of the art technology to track down and catch dangerous criminals. In doing so, local forces will be able to spend more time fighting crime in their communities.”
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The Home Office has said the new nationwide bureau will bring together the powers of the National Crime Agency, Counter Terrorism Policing, Regional Organised Crime Units, police helicopters and National Road Policing.
It will share technology and intelligence and set its sights on complex crime. The force will be led by a National Police Commissioner – the country’s most senior police officer.
‘British FBI’ Will Be Set Up as Soon as Possible, Shabana Mahmood Tells MPs
Britain is moving towards one of the biggest changes to its policing system in decades, with Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood telling MPs that she wants to appoint the head of a new National Police Service as soon as possible.
The proposed organisation has been described by ministers as a “British FBI”, although its formal name will be the National Police Service, or NPS.
Mahmood told the cross-party Home Affairs Committee that she wanted a commissioner-designate appointed quickly once the legislation establishing the organisation had been introduced to Parliament. She said the government intended for most of the service’s operational readiness to be completed by the end of the current parliamentary term, with the new force expected to be ready for launch by 2029.
The plans represent a major restructuring of policing in England and Wales. The government says the new national body will concentrate on the most serious and complex forms of crime, including organised crime, terrorism and fraud, while allowing local police forces to concentrate more heavily on neighbourhood crime and everyday policing.
But the reforms also raise questions about cost, accountability, the future structure of local forces and the balance of power between central government and regional police leaders.
A New National Police Service
The National Police Service was first announced by Mahmood in January as part of a wider police reform programme.
The government says the existing policing model was designed for a different era and has become increasingly difficult to operate effectively.
England and Wales currently have 43 territorial police forces. Each has responsibility for local policing but many are also expected to deal with crimes that cross force boundaries.
Modern criminal networks, however, rarely respect geographical boundaries.
Organised crime groups can operate across several regions. Online fraud can involve victims, offenders and financial transactions in different parts of the country or overseas. Terrorist threats can also require intelligence and specialist capabilities that individual local forces may not possess.
The government’s argument is that these challenges require a stronger national structure.
The NPS is intended to bring together specialist capabilities currently spread across several organisations.
These include the National Crime Agency, Counter Terrorism Policing, Regional Organised Crime Units, the National Police Air Service and national roads policing functions.
The government also intends for the new service to share intelligence, technology and specialist expertise across the country.
Why the Government Wants Reform
Mahmood has argued that local forces are being asked to perform too many different functions.
A police force may need to respond to antisocial behaviour and burglary in its local communities while simultaneously investigating organised criminal networks operating across several counties.
The government believes that separating national and local responsibilities could make both functions more effective.
Under the proposed system, specialist officers dealing with serious organised crime, terrorism and other complex threats would operate within a national structure.
Local forces would then have greater capacity to focus on issues directly affecting their communities.
When the reforms were announced, Mahmood said that some local forces lacked the skills and resources required to deal with complex modern crimes, including fraud, online child abuse and organised criminal gangs.
The government believes that a national service could concentrate specialist expertise rather than duplicating capabilities across dozens of separate forces.
The “British FBI” Label
The phrase “British FBI” has been repeatedly used to explain the concept to the public.
The comparison is useful but imperfect.
The FBI is a federal law-enforcement agency in the United States with responsibilities covering a wide range of national investigations.
Britain’s proposed NPS would operate within the UK’s existing policing framework rather than simply replacing every local police force.
The NPS is intended to deal with national-level threats while local forces continue to retain important responsibilities.
There is also a constitutional limitation.
The proposed service covers England and Wales.
Scotland has its own national police service, Police Scotland, while Northern Ireland has the Police Service of Northern Ireland.
That means the “British FBI” label does not describe a single police force covering the whole of the United Kingdom.
This distinction was raised in Parliament when MPs questioned the scope of the proposals.
A New National Commissioner
At the centre of the reform will be a new National Police Commissioner.
The commissioner is intended to become the country’s most senior police officer within the new national structure.
Mahmood told MPs that she wanted to begin the recruitment process as soon as the necessary legislation had been introduced.
Her latest comments suggest that the government wants the leadership structure established well before the organisation becomes fully operational.
The appointment could therefore become one of the most important decisions in the early stages of the reform.
The commissioner will be expected to oversee the national service while working alongside regional and local policing structures.
The role will also involve establishing national standards and ensuring that specialist policing capabilities operate consistently across England and Wales.
A £340 Million Programme
Creating a new national police organisation will require substantial investment.
Mahmood told MPs that the expected cost of establishing the National Police Service was approximately £340 million.
She said around two-thirds of that funding had already been committed, with the remainder expected to come through the next spending review. She also told MPs that she was confident the programme was fully funded.
The government says the investment will support new technology, intelligence-sharing systems and specialist capabilities.
The service is also expected to purchase technology centrally for use by police forces.
That could include systems involving facial recognition, artificial intelligence and other forms of digital investigation.
However, greater use of technology also creates questions about privacy, accuracy and accountability.
Artificial Intelligence and Facial Recognition
The government’s police reforms include plans for greater use of technology.
A national service would be able to establish common standards for police technology rather than leaving individual forces to develop separate systems.
This could make it easier to share intelligence and technological tools.
But MPs have already questioned the safeguards that should apply.
During parliamentary discussions, Mahmood said that robust safeguards would be required for artificial intelligence and live facial recognition.
She said the government was consulting on safeguards and emphasised the importance of transparency and accountability.
The issue is particularly important because facial-recognition systems can affect people who are not suspected of crimes.
Questions about accuracy, data retention, human oversight and the handling of false matches will therefore remain central to the debate.
Regional Crime Hubs
The government’s plans also include Regional Crime Hubs.
These would provide another layer between local policing and the national service.
Their purpose would be to deal with criminals and criminal networks operating across multiple local police boundaries.
The government believes that regional cooperation could prevent serious offenders from exploiting differences between police areas.
For example, a criminal network operating across several counties could currently require multiple forces to coordinate their investigations.
A regional structure could provide a more integrated response.
The exact relationship between the regional hubs, local forces and the National Police Service will therefore be crucial to the success of the reforms.
The Future of the 43 Forces
One of the biggest unanswered questions concerns the future number of police forces in England and Wales.
The government has previously suggested that the current structure of 43 forces may not be sustainable.
Mahmood told MPs that the government continues to support police reform but acknowledged that its thinking has developed since Andy Burnham became Prime Minister.
There is now greater emphasis on regional leadership and devolution.
An independent review led by former Metropolitan Police chief constable Lord Bernard Hogan-Howe is examining the evidence behind proposals to reduce the number of police forces.
Mahmood said the review would “re-test” the government’s evidence before further decisions are made.
That means the final structure of policing could look different from the original proposal.
Local Policing Remains a Central Issue
The government insists that the reforms are designed to strengthen rather than weaken local policing.
Its argument is that local officers should spend more time dealing with crimes that affect their communities rather than being diverted into national investigations.
Supporters of the reform say that a specialist national body could free local officers to deal with burglary, theft, antisocial behaviour, violence and other local problems.
The challenge will be demonstrating that this actually happens.
Local communities are likely to judge the reforms not by the structure of police organisations but by whether they see more effective policing in their neighbourhoods.
Accountability and Political Control
Another major issue is accountability.
Mahmood has indicated that the reforms will give the Home Secretary a stronger role in national policing.
At the same time, the new National Police Commissioner would have responsibility for the operational leadership of the national service.
This creates a potentially important distinction between political oversight and operational independence.
Police forces must be accountable to elected institutions, but policing decisions also need safeguards against inappropriate political interference.
The government has promised greater transparency through a new performance framework.
The framework is intended to make it easier for the public and elected officials to understand how police forces are performing.
How that accountability works in practice will be closely watched.
Support From Police Leaders
The proposals have received support from some senior policing organisations.
A joint statement from the Metropolitan Police, Counter Terrorism Policing and the National Police Chiefs’ Council said modern crime required a modern policing response.
They backed the idea of bringing together specialist teams and capabilities into a single National Police Service.
Support from police leaders is significant because the reforms will affect the organisation of policing at almost every level.
However, implementation could still prove complicated.
Merging organisations with different structures, cultures, technology systems and employment arrangements will require careful planning.
Scotland’s Different Position
The use of the term “British FBI” has also attracted constitutional criticism.
The National Police Service is primarily an England-and-Wales reform.
Scotland has its own policing structure and legal system.
During parliamentary debate, SNP MP Pete Wishart pointed out that the proposed national service would not cover Scotland.
This highlights the difficulty of describing an England-and-Wales institution as a “British” organisation.
The UK already has different criminal justice and policing arrangements across its constituent nations.
Any future cooperation between the NPS and Police Scotland would therefore have to operate within those existing constitutional boundaries.
A Long-Term Transformation
The government has set an ambitious timetable.
Legislation is being prepared.
A commissioner is expected to be recruited.
Specialist organisations will eventually need to be brought together.
New technology and intelligence systems will have to be established.
Regional structures will need to be developed.
And the wider question of whether the 43-force model should continue remains under review.
Mahmood’s latest comments suggest that ministers want the process to begin quickly rather than waiting until every aspect of the final structure has been resolved.
The intention is to appoint a commissioner-designate as soon as possible after the bill reaches Parliament.
What the Reform Could Mean
If implemented as planned, the National Police Service would fundamentally change the way Britain tackles national crime.
Organised criminal gangs, terrorism, serious fraud and other complex offences would increasingly be handled through a dedicated national structure.
Local forces would have a clearer focus on community policing.
Technology and intelligence could be shared more systematically.
The government believes that this could make the overall system more effective.
But the transition will not be simple.
The creation of a new national body raises questions about funding, leadership, accountability, privacy, regional autonomy and the future of existing police organisations.
There is also a risk that structural reform could become a distraction if it does not translate into better policing on the ground.
The Road to 2029
For now, the government is aiming for the National Police Service to be operationally ready by 2029.
That gives ministers several years to pass legislation, appoint leadership, reorganise specialist capabilities and develop the necessary infrastructure.
Mahmood’s message to MPs is that the government intends to move quickly.
The recruitment of the first commissioner could be one of the earliest visible signs that the project is moving from political proposal to institutional reality.
The ultimate test, however, will not be the name attached to the organisation.
Calling it a “British FBI” may make the concept easy to understand, but the real question will be whether the new system can successfully combine national expertise with effective local policing.
For the government, the ambition is clear: create a national service capable of dealing with the increasingly complex nature of modern crime while giving local officers more time to protect their communities.
Whether the proposed structure can deliver that objective will depend on how the legislation is shaped, how the new leadership operates and how successfully the government manages one of the most significant reorganisations of policing in England and Wales in a generation.