Thames Valley PCC attacks government police reform plans

Thames Valley Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Barber recently published a detailed response to the Government’s Police Reform White Paper, outlining major concerns about the proposed changes.

In a letter to the Home Secretary, Mr Barber warned that the reforms represent the ‘most significant overhaul of policing in generations’ and risk creating a policing system that is ‘more distant from their communities and less accountable’.

He said: “It is not necessarily the size of forces that is the problem, but the funding formula that penalises them.

“The first stage of any review should be to look at how local policing is funded, not reviewing the geographical boundaries.”

A central concern is the plan to reorganise the long-standing 43-force structure in England and Wales.

Mr Barber argued that the real issue lies with police funding, not force size.

He cautioned that structural changes could result in ‘years of chaos, costing millions of pounds without bringing real benefit’.

Almost any merger involving Thames Valley, he said, would likely result in higher council tax costs and a ‘lower level of service which is more removed from their community’.

Another major worry is the increasing centralisation of police oversight.

Under the proposals, the Home Office would gain expanded powers with more strategic oversight and strengthened powers to intervene in the performance and standards of police forces.

Mr Barber said: “These changes risk concentrating power in Whitehall; eroding the operational independence that underpins public trust in policing, as well as local governance and police accountability to the communities they serve.”

He also criticised plans to introduce a licence to practise for officers, describing it as ‘an unnecessary, bureaucratic burden’ that could reduce frontline capacity.

Taken together, he warned the reforms could lead to fewer visible officers, less responsive policing, and higher levels of neighbourhood crime.

He said: “Of course, policing must continue to modernise.

“If reform is to take place, however, it must be about strengthening policing—not weakening it.

“I am extremely concerned that these proposals will lead to fewer resources and poorer performance whilst fundamentally damaging the nature of policing in our country but there is still time to change course in the interests of keeping the public safe.”

Mr Barber has launched a public consultation to gather views from residents on the proposals.

He said: “The Government is not currently consulting the public on these large scale reforms.

“You have heard my views, and I want to ensure that you have the opportunity, in these early stages, to give your feedback.”

The consultation is available on the Thames Valley Police and Crime Commissioner’s website.