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Policing in the United Kingdom
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Law enforcement in the United Kingdom is organised separately in Scotland, Northern Ireland and England & Wales (administration of police matters is not generally affected by the Government of Wales Act 2006), and arranged in geographical police areas matched to the boundaries of one or more local government areas in the United Kingdom.
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Encyclopedia
Law enforcement in the United Kingdom is organised separately in Scotland, Northern Ireland and England & Wales (administration of police matters is not generally affected by the Government of Wales Act 2006), and arranged in geographical police areas matched to the boundaries of one or more local government areas in the United Kingdom. There are four general types of body, the first mostly concerned with policing the general public and their activities and the rest concerned with policing of other, usually localised, matters:
- Territorial police forces, who carry out the majority of policing. These are police forces that cover a 'police area' (a particular region) and have an independent Police Authority. Current police forces have their grounding in the Police Act 1964 (in England and Wales), the Police (Scotland) Act 1967 or the Police (Northern Ireland) Act 2000, which prescribe a number of issues such as appointment of a Chief Constable, jurisdiction and responsibilities.
- Special police forces, which are national police forces that have a specific, non-regional jurisdiction, such as the British Transport Police. The Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 refers to these as 'special police forces'.
- Non-police law enforcement agencies, whose officers are not police officers, but still enforce laws.
- Miscellaneous forces, mostly having their foundations in older legislation or Common Law. These have a responsibility to police specific local areas or activities, such as ports and parks and before the passing of recent legislation such as the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 were often referred to as 'special police forces'; care must therefore be taken in interpreting historical use of that phrase. These constabularies are not within the scope of the legislation applicable to the previously-mentioned organisations but can still be the subject of statutes applicable to e.g. docks, harbours or railways. Until the passing of Railways and Transport Safety Act 2003, the British Transport Police was such a force.
Jurisdictions and territories
In the United Kingdom, every person has limited powers of arrest if they see a crime being committed - these are called 'every person powers', commonly referred to as a 'citizen's arrest'. In England and Wales, the vast majority of attested constables enjoy full powers of arrest and search as granted by the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984. All police officers are "constables" in law, irrespective of rank. Although police officers have wide ranging powers, they are still civilians and subject to the same laws as members of the public. However there are certain legal restrictions on police officers such the illegality of taking industrial action and the ban on taking part in active politics.
Territorial police constables
Most police officers are members of territorial police forces. Upon taking an oath for one of these forces, they have jurisdiction in one of the three distinct legal system - either England and Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland. A police officer of one of the three legal systems has all the powers of a constable throughout their own legal system but limited powers in the other two legal systems. Certain exceptions where full police powers cross the border with the officer are when officers are providing planned support to another force such as the G8 Conference in Scotland in 2005 , and officers of the Metropolitan Police who are on protection duties anywhere in the United Kingdom.
Other constables
There are many constables who are not members of territorial police forces. The most notable are members of the three forces referred to as 'special police forces': the British Transport Police, Ministry of Defence Police and Civil Nuclear Constabulary. These officers have the 'powers and privileges of a constable' on land relating to their work and in matters relating to their work. BTP and MDP officers have additional jurisdiction where requested by a constable of another force, in which case they take on that constables jurisdiction. Upon request from the chief police officer of a police force, members of one of the above three forces can be give the full powers of constables in the police area of the requesting force. This was used to supplement police numbers in the areas surrounding the 2005 G8 summit at Gleneagles.
There are also many acts which allow companies or councils to employ constables for a specific purpose. Firstly, there are 10 companies whose employees are sworn in as special constables under section 79 of the Harbours, Docks, and Piers Clauses Act 1847. As a result, they have the full powers of a constable on any land owned by the harbour, dock, or port and at any place within one mile of any owned land. Secondly, there are also some forces created by specific legislation such as the Port of Tilbury Police (Port of London Act 1968), Mersey Tunnels Police (County of Merseyside Act 1989) and the Epping Forest Keepers (Epping Forest Act 1878).
Thirdly, under Article 18 of the Ministry of Housing and Local Government Provisional Order Confirmation (Greater London Parks and Open Spaces) Act 1967, London Borough Councils are allowed to swear in council officers as constables for "securing the observance of the provisions of all enactments relating to open spaces under their control or management and of bye-laws and regulations made thereunder". Theses constables are not legally police constables and have no powers to enforce criminal law other than those afforded to every citizen.
Police civilians
In England & Wales, the chief police officer of a territorial police force may designate any person who is employed by the police authority maintaining that force, and is under the direction and control of that chief police officer, as one or more of the following:
They have a range of powers given by the Police Reform Act 2002, and their chief police officer decides which of these powers they may use. Unlike a police constable, a PCSO only has powers when on duty and in uniform, and within the area policed by their respective force.
Until 1991, most parking enforcement was carried out by police-employed traffic wardens. Since the passage of the Road Traffic Act 1991, decriminalised parking enforcement has meant that most local authorities have taken on this role and now only the Metropolitan Police employs Traffic Wardens, combing the role with PCSOs as "Traffic Police Community Support Officers".
In Scotland, Police Custody and Security Officers have powers similar to those of detention officers and escort officers in England and Wales. Similar powers are available in Northern Ireland.
Accredited Persons
Chief police officers of territorial police forces (and the British Transport Police) can also give limited powers to people not employed by the police authority, under Community Safety Accreditation Schemes. A notable example are officers of the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency, who have been given powers to stop vehicles. However, this practice has been criticised by the Police Federation who described it as 'half-baked'.
Members of the armed forces
In Northern Ireland only, members of Her Majesty's Armed Forces have powers to stop people or vehicles, arrest and detain people for three hours and enter buildings to keep the peace or search for people who have been kidnapped. Additionally, commissioned officers may close roads. They may use reasonable force when excersising these powers.
Under the Customs Management Act 1979, members of Her Majesty's Armed Forces may detain people if they believe they have committed an offence under the Customs & Excise acts, and may seize goods if they believe they are liable to forfeiture under the same acts.
Other civilians
Many employees of local authorities have powers of entry relating to inspection of businesses, such as under the Sunday Trading Act 1994 and powers to give Fixed Penalty Notices for offences such as littering, graffiti or one of the wide ranging offences in the .
When carrying out an investigation, staff of the Independent Police Complaints Commission have all the powers and privileges of constables throughout England and Wales and the territorial waters.
Employees of the Serious Organised Crime Agency can be designated with the powers of a constable, Revenue and Customs officer and immigration officer. These designations can be unconditional or conditional: time limited or limited to a specific operation.
Employees of the UK Border Agency may be Immigration Officers and/or customs officers. They hold certain powers of arrest, detention and search.
In England & Wales, water bailiffs employed by the Environment Agency have certain powers in relation to enforcement of fishing regulations. Scottish water bailiffs have similar powers. There are also seven types of court officer - two in Scotland and five in England & Wales, commonly referred to as 'bailiffs', who can enforce court orders and in some cases arrest people.
Highways Agency Traffic Officers are employed by the Highways Agency and maintain traffic flows on motorways. They have limited powers to direct traffic and place road signs.
History
The office of Constable has existed in England since Saxon times, but modern police forces did not start using the title until the early 19th century, with the introduction of broadly similar forces in localised areas.
- 1682: Edinburgh Town Guard formed to police the city and enforce an initiated curfew; it was disbanded in 1817. It gained notoriety in 1726 when its Captain Porteous became the trigger for the Porteous Riots.
- 1779: Glasgow Magistrates appoint James Buchanan as the first Inspector of the Glasgow Police, with an establishment of eight police officers, but it was disbanded owing to a lack of money in 1781.
- 1788: The Glasgow Police was re-established, but failure to succeed in getting a Bill before Parliament meant that the force again failed, in 1790.
- Late 18th century: The Marine Police was established, based in Wapping: this was a localised force with a limited remit.
- 1800: The Glasgow Police Act, the first such Act in Britain was finally passed through the persistence of Glasgow city authorities. This allowed the formation of the City of Glasgow Police, funded by taxation of local citizens, to prevent crime. This was quickly followed by the setting up of similar police forces in other towns.
- 1812: A committee examined the policing of London, and made several suggestions on their findings to help evolve the existing state of affairs.
- 1814: The Peace Preservation Act creates the first organised police force in Ireland, becoming the Irish Constabulary in 1822, and was awarded the Royal prefix after putting down the Fenian Rising of 1867.
- 1818: Another committee examined the policing of London.
- 29 September 1829: The Metropolitan Police was founded. It was depersonalised, bureaucratic and hierarchical, with the new Constables instructed to prevent crime and pursue offenders. However, in contrast to the military gendarmerie forces of continental Europe, the British police, partly to counter public fears and objections concerning armed enforcers (as previously seen before due to soldiers being tasked to keep order), were clearly civilian and their equipment was initially limited to the Truncheon. Uniform was blue, resembling the navy rather than the red of the Army, who had policed with firearms and a usually violent means which had long caused public consternation. A fear of spy systems and political control also kept 'plain clothes' and even detective work to a minimum. The force was independent of the local government; through its Commissioner, it was responsible direct to the Home Office. The new constables were nicknamed 'peelers' or 'bobbies' after the Home Secretary, Robert Peel. The nickname 'bobbies' continues to this day, 'peelers' is more uncommon, although used liberally in Northern Ireland.
- 1831: Special Constables Act 1831 passed.
- 1835: Municipal Corporations Act 1835 passed. Among other matters this required each borough in England and Wales to establish a watch committee, who had the duty of appointing constables "for the preserving of the peace". The jurisdiction of the borough constables extended to any place within seven miles of the borough.
- 1839: First county police force created, in Wiltshire.
- 1842: Within the Metropolitan Police a detective department was founded.
- 1856: County and Borough Police Act 1856 made county and borough police forces compulsory in England and Wales and subject to central inspection. By then around thirty counties had voluntarily created police forces.
- 1857: The General Police Act (Scotland) 1857 required each Scottish county and bourgh to establish a police force, either its own or by uniting with a neighbouring county, the latter was usually the case if the area in question was small and had little means of aquairing such manpower.
- 1860: By this year there were over 200 separate forces in England and Wales.
- 1878: As a result of the 1877 Turf Fraud scandal, the Metropolitan Police's Detective Department was reorganised and renamed the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in 1878.
- 1914: Special Constables Act 1914. Allowed for the appointment of Special Constables during wartime, due to the fall in numbers of regular officers.
- 1918 and 1919: The police went on strike over pay and working conditions, because of this the polices' right to strike and form a union was revoked.
- 1919: Police Act of 1919 passed in response to the police striking. It criminalised the police union, replacing it with the Police Federation of England and Wales. The act also guaranteed a pension for police; previously it had been discretionary. The fragmented nature of the police was resistant to change, and there were still over 200 separate police forces before World War II. During the War, resignations were not permitted except on grounds of ill-health.
- 1964: Police Act 1964. This created 49 larger forces in England and Wales, some covering two or more counties or large urban areas.
- 1984: Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE). Regulated the actions of the police in England and Wales, particularly in relations to arrest and searches/powers of entry. Also instituted the PACE Codes of Practice. PACE did not extend these matters to Scotland but dealt with other subjects there.
- 2006: Major provisions of the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 come into effect including the overhaul of powers of arrest, institution of the Serious Organised Crime Agency and extension of powers available to PCSOs; these (other than SOCA) applying in England and Wales. The majority of the Act applies only to England and Wales with only a few sections applying to Scotland or Northern Ireland. In Scotland, the Police, Public Order and Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2006 comes into force.
Accountability
In England and Wales a Police Authority, normally consisting of three magistrates, nine local councillors and five independent members, is responsible for overseeing each local force. They also have a duty under law to ensure that their community gets best value from their police force.
In Northern Ireland the Police Service of Northern Ireland is supervised by the Northern Ireland Policing Board.
In Scotland each police force is overseen either by the local authority (for Fife Constabulary and Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary) or by a joint board of the relevant authority for all other forces.
Two of the three special police forces in Great Britain, (the British Transport Police and the Civil Nuclear Constabulary) had their own police authorities set up in 2004. These forces operate across national jurisdictions but their normal responsibility is to the activities they police, i.e. the railways and the civil nuclear industry.
Her Majesty's Inspectorates of Constabulary
Her Majesty's Inspectorates of Constabulary (HMIC) are the official bodies responsible for the examination and assessment of police forces to ensure their requirements are met as intended.
There are two similarly-named organisations:
- Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) - this organisation is responsible to the Home Office for police forces in England and Wales. It also inspects, by invitation, various UK special police forces. Since 2004, HMIC has also had responsibility for examining HM Revenue and Customs and the Serious Organised Crime Agency. Inspection services have been provided on a non-statutory basis for the Police Service of Northern Ireland.
- Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary for Scotland (commonly known as HMIC) - this organisation is responsible to the Scottish Government and examines Scotland's territorial police forces, the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency, the Scottish Criminal Record Office, the Scottish Police College and the Scottish Police Information Strategy.
Crown dependencies and overseas territories
The Crown dependencies and British overseas territories have their own police forces, the majority of which utilise the British model. Because they are not part of the United Kingdom, they are not answerable to the British Government; instead they are organised by and are responsible to their own governments (an exception to this is the Sovereign Base Areas Police - because the SBAs existence is purely for the benefit of the British armed forces and do not have full overseas territory status, the SBA Police are responsible to the Ministry of Defence). However, because they are based on the British model of policing, these police forces conform to the standards set out by the British government, which includes voluntarily submitting themselves to inspection by the HMIC.
Ranks
The rank structure of United Kingdom police forces are identical up to the rank of Chief Superintendent. However, the higher ranks are distinct within London. The two territorial police forces in London (Metropolitan and City of London) have a series of Commander and Commissioner ranks as their top ranks whereas other UK police forces have assistants, deputies and a Chief Constable as their top ranks; all Commissioners and Chief Constables are equal in rank to each other.
Uniform and equipment
Uniforms, the issuing of firearms, type of patrol cars and other equipment varies by force. Unlike police in other developed countries, the vast majority of British police officers do not carry firearms on standard patrol; they do however carry Extendable "Asp" or fixed Monadnock PR-24 batons and CS/PAVA spray.
There are, however, exceptions. Every territorial force has a specialist Firearms Unit which maintain Armed Response Vehicles to respond to firearms related emergency calls, while one territorial force (the Police Service of Northern Ireland) and two of the special police forces, (the Civil Nuclear Constabulary and the Ministry of Defence Police) being routinely armed. The British Transport Police is the only police force in the country without firearms officers, relying on the local territorial force should an armed incident occur on the railways.
The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) firearms unit is called CO19 (formerly SO19), but every force in the United Kingdom apart from the British Transport Police has firearms trained officers available should the need arise. Metropolitan and City of London Police operate with three officers per Armed Response Vehicle (ARV). Each unit comprises a driver, a navigator, and an observer who gathers information about the incident and liaises with other units. Other police forces carry two Authorised Firearms Officers instead of three. Armed Police carry a combination of weapons, ranging from German Heckler & Koch MP5 carbines, Heckler & Koch MSG901 Sniper rifles, Heckler & Koch Baton Guns (which fire baton rounds) and Heckler & Koch G36Cs to a number of specialist weapons such as the Remington pump-action shotgun.
Home Secretary Jacqui Smith recently unveiled new plans to train and arm response officers with Tasers, rather than just specialist firearms teams.
Height
In the 19th and early 20th centuries most forces required their recruits to be at least 5 feet 10 inches (178 cm) in height. By 1960 many forces had reduced this to 5 feet 8 inches , and 5 feet 4 inches for women. Many senior officers deplored this, believing that height was a vital requirement for a uniformed constable. Some forces retained the height standard at 5 feet 10 inches or 5 feet 9 inches until the early 1990s, when the height standard was gradually removed. This is due to the MacPherson report of 1999, as the height restriction was seen to discriminate against those of ethnic backgrounds such as the Chinese, who are generally much shorter. No British force now requires its recruits to be of any minimum height.
Organisation of police forces
As all police forces are autonomous organisations there is much variation in organisation and nomenclature, however outlined below are the main strands of policing that makes up police forces:
- All police forces have teams of officers who are responsible for general patrol duties and response to emergency and non emergency calls from the public. These officers are generally the most visible and will invariably be the first interface a member of the public has with police. In general terms these officers will normally patrol by vehicle (though also on foot or bicycle in urban areas). They will generally patrol a sub-division or whole division of a police force area or in the case of the Metropolitan Police Service, a borough. Nearly all police officers begin their careers in this area of policing, with some moving on to more specialist roles. The Metropolitan Police Service calls this area of policing 'Response Teams', whilst other forces use terms such as 'patrol', 'section' and other variations.
- Most local areas or wards in the country have at least one police officer who is involved in trying to build links with the local community and resolve long term problems. In London, the Metropolitan Police Service addresses this area of policing with Safer Neighbourhood Teams. This entails each political ward in London having a Police Sergeant, two police constables and a few PCSOs who are ring fenced to address problems and build community links in their respective wards. Other police forces have similar systems but can be named 'Area officers', 'Neighbourhood officers', 'Beat Constables' and a number of other variations.
- Criminal Investigation Departments (CID) can be found in all police forces. Generally these officers deal with investigations of a more complex, serious nature, however this again can differ from force to force. Most officers within this area are detectives. Depending on the force in question this area of policing can be further divided into a myriad of other specialist areas such as fraud. Smaller forces tend to have detectives who deal with a wide range of varied investigations whereas detectives in larger forces can have a very specialist remit.
- All police forces have specialist departments that deal with certain aspects of policing. Larger forces such as Greater Manchester Police, Strathclyde Police and West Midlands Police have many and varied departments and units such as traffic, firearms, marine, horse, tactical support all named differently depending on the force. Smaller forces such Dyfed Powys Police and Warwickshire Police will have fewer specialists and will rely on cross training, such as firearms officers also being traffic trained officers. The Metropolitan Police, the largest force in the country, has a large number of specialist departments, some of which are unique to the Metropolitan Police due to policing the capital and its national responsibilities. For example, the Diplomatic Protection Group and Counter Terrorism Command.
Issues
Controversial shootings
The policy under which British police use firearms has resulted in controversy.
Deaths in police custody
In 1997/98, 69 people died in police custody or following contact with the police across England and Wales; 26 resulted from deliberate self harm.
There are two defined categories of death in custody issued by the Home Office:
Category A: This category also encompasses deaths of those under arrest who are held in temporary police accommodation or have been taken to hospital following arrest. It also includes those who die, following arrest, whilst in a police vehicle.
- s/he has been taken to a police station after being arrested for an offence, or
- s/he is arrested at a police station after attending voluntarily at the station or accompanying a Constable to it, and is detained there or is detained elsewhere in the charge of a constable, except that a person who is at a court after being charged is not in police detention for those purposes.
Category B: Where the deceased was otherwise in the hands of the police or death resulted from the actions of a police officer in the purported execution of his duty.
- when suspects are being interviewed by the police but have not been detained;
- when persons are actively attempting to evade arrest;
- when persons are stopped and searched or questioned by the police; and
- when persons are in police vehicles (other than whilst in police detention).
Recent issues
Evidence of corruption in the 1970s, serious urban riots and the police role in controlling industrial disorder in the 1980s, and the changing nature of police procedure made police accountability and control a major political football from the 1990s onwards.
The coal miners' strike (1984–1985) saw thousands of police from various forces deployed against miners, frequently resulting in violent confrontation.
The presence of Freemasons in the police caused disquiet in the early 1990s.
The Fettesgate scandal in the early 1990s concerned the theft (and allegedly the subsequent recovery) of sensitive documents from the Edinburgh headquarters of Lothian and Borders Police. Nobody has ever been charged, and, at least publicly, no officer was disciplined.
Despite attempts to end racism and what the Macpherson Report described as "institutionalised racism" in the police since the 1993 murder of Stephen Lawrence, there have been ongoing problems. At the same time, some commentators and academics have claimed that political correctness and excessive sensitivity to issues of race and class have reduced the effectiveness of the police force, not least for people living in deprived areas or members of minority groups themselves.
In 2003, ten police officers from Greater Manchester Police, North Wales Police and Cheshire Constabulary were forced to resign after a BBC documentary, "The Secret Policeman", shown on 21 October, revealed racism among recruits at Bruche Police National Training Centre at Warrington. On 4 March 2005 the noted that minor disciplinary action would be taken against twelve other officers (eleven from Greater Manchester Police and one from Lancashire Constabulary) in connection with the programme, but that they would not lose their jobs. In November 2003, allegations were made that some police officers were members of the far-right British National Party.
The perceived absence of a visible police presence on the streets also frequently causes concern. This is partially being addressed by the introduction of uniformed Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs), following the passing of the Police Reform Act 2002, although some have criticised these as for being a cheap alternative to fully-trained police officers.
At the beginning of 2005 it was announced that the Police Information Technology Organisation (PITO) had signed an eight-year £122 m contract to introduce biometric identification technology. PITO are also planning to use CCTV facial recognition systems to identify known suspects; a future link to the proposed National Identity Register has been suggested by some.
A number of recent cases in which the police have intervened in matters of free speech have also given rise to allegations that the police are in danger of becoming thought police. In December 2005, author Lynette Burrows was interviewed by police after expressing her opinion on BBC Radio 5 Live that homosexuals should not be allowed to adopt children. The following month, Sir Iqbal Sacranie was investigated by police for stating the Islamic view that homosexuality is a sin.
Recent undercover TV programmes BBC's The Secret Policeman and Channel 4 Dispatches programme Undercover Copper raised questions of standards within UK police forces.
Fixed Threat Assessment Centre
Nicknamed 'Blair's Secret Stalker Squad' http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=457934&in_page_id=1770&ct=5 was set up in 2006 to identify and address those individuals considered to pose a threat to VIP's or the Royals. On 25 June 2007 Hansard, Secretary of State for the Home Department Mr McNulty describes speaks of the FTAC:
'The Fixated Threat Assessment Centre (FTAC) was established in order to better protect the public and vulnerable individuals in response to evidence that a significant proportion of people who engage in bizarre communications or contact with prominent people in public life are severely and acutely mentally ill and urgently need professional help. A small but significant number of such individuals can pose a risk to the public, the prominent person, and themselves, particularly in environments where there are armed police officers. The Home Office, the Department of Health and the Metropolitan Police Service agreed to establish a joint police/mental health unit, on a pilot basis, to assess and manage the risk posed by such individuals. Where appropriate, FTAC will introduce (or reintroduce) the individuals into existing community mental health care through established pathways. If offences are disclosed, and the circumstances warrant such intervention, consideration will also be given to a criminal investigation.
Since its creation in October 2006, FTAC has dealt with 168 cases. FTAC does not detain people in psychiatric hospitals. When it encounters an individual in need of mental health care it alerts their general practitioners and psychiatrists, who then provide appropriate help under existing legislation. FTAC may make use of police powers under section 136 of the Mental Health Act 1983 to take a person who appears to be suffering from mental disorder, and in immediate need of care or control, to a place of safety. When people are removed to hospital under section 136, they are examined by a registered medical practitioner and interviewed by an approved social worker, not associated with FTAC, in order to make any necessary arrangements for their treatment or care.http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/cm200607/cmhansrd/cm070625/text/70625w0068.htm
Censorship
The image on the front cover of Filth by Scottish writer Irvine Welsh caused outrage when released and the Southampton police seized promotional material they deemed obscene and offensive to the police.
Proposed mergers for England and Wales
In 1981, James Anderton, the then Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police called for 10 regional police forces for England and Wales, one for each of the regions which would be adopted as Government Office Regions in England, and Wales.
A 2004 proposal by the Police Superintendents Association for the creation of a single national police force, similar to Garda Síochána na hÉireann was rejected by the Association of Chief Police Officers, and the government has thus far agreed.
In September 2005, in a report delivered to the then Home Secretary, Charles Clarke, HM Inspectorate of Constabulary suggested that the forty-three force structure in England and Wales was "no longer fit for purpose" and smaller forces should be forcibly merged. As of 2005, nineteen forces had fewer than 2,000 regular officers, and the report suggested that forces with 4,000 or more officers performed better and could deliver cost savings. Forces were asked to produce proposals for mergers, within Wales and the English Government Office Regions. Nearly all the existing forces were under the 4,000 limit, with only the Metropolitan Police, Greater Manchester Police, Merseyside Police, Northumbria Police, Thames Valley Police, West Midlands Police and West Yorkshire Police over the limit - see List of police forces in England and Wales by officers for a full list.
Draft options were announced in November 2005. The Home Office offered money to police authorities that decided to voluntarily merge ahead of schedule, and was consequently accused of attempting to "bribe" unwilling Chief Constables into compliance. The proposals were debated in the House of Commons on 19 December 2005. Most Chief Constables and police authorities did not back the measure, and some suggested that cross-regional mergers would make more sense (for example, Hampshire Constabulary in the South East suggested it could merge with Dorset Police in the South West, whilst there was also a suggestion of North Wales Police increasing co-operation with Cheshire Police)
On 6 February 2006, preferred options for several regions were announced by the Home Secretary in a Written Ministerial Statement, and set a deadline of 24 February for forces to agree to the mergers. By this dead-line the only merger to have the agreement of all forces involved was the Cumbria/Lancashire merger. Cheshire was opposed to a merger with Merseyside, and West Mercia and Cleveland were holdouts in their regions, whilst all the Welsh forces opposed the creation of a single Welsh force. The Home Secretary had the power to order the Cumbria/Lancashire merger to proceed by statutory instrument under the Police Act 1996, and also to force through the contested mergers, given a four-month consultation period. In a Written Statement made on 3 March 2006, he announced that the Lancashire/Cumbria merger could be ordered in May, and that the consultation period on the others was starting, and would end on 2 July 2006. The new forces would come into being on 1 April 2007.
A second batch of merger proposals were made on 20 March 2006, with the Eastern, East Midlands and South East regions covered. A deadline of 7 April 2006 was set for responses, after which it was expected that the process above would be followed. The following day, the Home Secretary proposed a merger of all four forces in the Yorkshire and the Humber region. The consultation period on this second batch of mergers started on 11 April 2006, and would have finished on 11 August, with a target of 1 April 2008 for the mergers coming into effect.
Greater London
Upon the publication of the proposals, the Greater London area was not included. This was due to two separate reviews of policing in the capital - the first was a review by the Department of Transport into the future role and function of the British Transport Police. The second was a review by the Attorney-General into national measures for combating fraud (the City of London Police is one of the major organisations for combating economic crime). Both the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Sir Ian Blair, and the Mayor, Ken Livingstone, stated that they would like to see a single police force in London, with the Metropolitan Police absorbing the City of London Police and the functions of the British Transport Police in London. However, this met with criticism from several areas; the House of Commons Transport Select Committee severely criticised the idea of the Metropolitan Police taking over policing of the rail network in a report published on 16 May 2006, while the City of London Corporation and several major financial institutions in The City made public their opposition to the City Police merging with the Met. In a statement on 20 July 2006, the Transport Secretary announced that there would be no structural or operational changes to the British Transport Police, effectively ruling out any merger The interim report by the Attorney General's fraud review recognised the role taken by the City Police as the lead force in London and the South-East for tackling fraud, and made a recommendation that, should a national lead force be required, the City Police, with its expertise, would be an ideal candidate to take this role. This view was confirmed on the publication of the final report, which recommended that the City of London Police's Fraud Squad should be the national lead force in combatting fraud, to "act as a centre of excellence, disseminate best practice, give advice on complex inquiries in other regions, and assist with or direct the most complex of such investigations"
Abandonment
On 20 June 2006 the new Home Secretary, John Reid, announced that the contested mergers would be delayed for further discussion, and no mergers would be ordered before Parliament's summer recess on 25 July other than the agreed Lancashire/Cumbria one.
On 11 July 2006, it then emerged that the entire proposal for police mergers might be ended, following the decision by the only two forces to have agreed to amalgamation, Cumbria and Lancashire, not to proceed. The announcement of this was followed by the head of the ACPO stating that "The necessary financial support has not materialised and mergers, including voluntary ones, will not take place". On 12 July 2006, the Home Office confirmed that the mergers were to be abandoned, with the entire proposal taken back for consultation
Other police forces
Policing in Scotland and Northern Ireland does not come under the purview of the Home Office, and so would have remained unaffected by these proposals. Likewise, the major non-territorial forces (British Transport Police, Civil Nuclear Constabulary, Ministry of Defence Police) are responsible to other government departments, and so would not have been affected by this review.
List of proposed mergers
Note: these mergers have all been suspended in the long term while a further review and consultation into policing in England and Wales takes place
| Region | Proposed force |
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| Eastern | Merge Bedfordshire Police, Essex Police and Hertfordshire Constabulary | | Merge Cambridgeshire Constabulary, Norfolk Constabulary and Suffolk Constabulary | | East Midlands | Merge Derbyshire Constabulary, Leicestershire Constabulary, Lincolnshire Police, Northamptonshire Police and Nottinghamshire Police | | London | London not included in the review of policing, so City of London Police and Metropolitan Police unaffected. | | North-East | Merge Cleveland Police, Durham Constabulary and Northumbria Police | | North-West | Merge Cumbria Constabulary and Lancashire Constabulary | | Merge Cheshire Constabulary and Merseyside Police | | Greater Manchester Police unchanged | | South-East | Kent Police unchanged | | Merge Surrey Police and Sussex Police | | Hampshire Constabulary unchanged | | Thames Valley Police unchanged | | South-West | Option 1: Merge Avon and Somerset Constabulary, Devon and Cornwall Constabulary, Gloucestershire Constabulary, Dorset Police and Wiltshire Constabulary | Option 2: Merge Avon and Somerset Constabulary, Gloucestershire Constabulary, Wiltshire Constabulary and Dorset Police
Devon and Cornwall Constabulary unchanged | | Wales | Merge Dyfed-Powys Police, Gwent Police, North Wales Police and South Wales Police | | West Midlands | Merge Staffordshire Police, Warwickshire Police, West Mercia Constabulary, West Midlands Police | | Yorkshire and Humberside | Merge Humberside Police, North Yorkshire Police, South Yorkshire Police, West Yorkshire Police |
Border and Immigration Agency/UK Border Agency
As part of the wide ranging review of the Home Office, the then Home Secretary, John Reid, announced in July 2006 that all British immigration officers would be uniformed. On April 1 2007, the Border and Immigration Agency (BIA) was created and commenced operation. However, there were no police officers in the Agency, a matter that attracted considerable criticism when the Agency was established - agency officers have limited powers of arrest. Further powers for designated officers within the Agency, including powers of detention pending the arrival of a police officer, were introduced by the UK Borders Act 2007.
The Government has effectively admitted the shortcomings of the Agency by making a number fundamental changes within a year of its commencement. On 1 April 2008 the BIA became the UK Border Agency following a merger with UKvisas, the port of entry functions of HM Revenue and Customs. The Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith, announced that the UK Border Agency (UKBA) "...will bring together the work of the Border and Immigration Agency, UK Visas and parts of HM Revenue and Customs at the border, [and] will work closely with the police and other law enforcement agencies to improve border controls and security."
Within months of this, the Home Secretary revealed (in a 16-page response to a report by Lord Carlile, the independent reviewer of UK terrorism legislation) that the Home Office will issue a Green Paper proposing to take forward proposals by the Association of Chief Police Officers (England & Wales) for the establishment of a new 3,000-strong national border police force to work alongside the Agency.
National Crime Force
In April 2007, the Leader of the Opposition, David Cameron announced the Conservative Party's proposals for reform of policing. These included:
- Replacing police authorities with directly elected
police commissioners. These individuals would have control over budgets and target setting, with the Chief Constable retaining operational control of policing. Giving the public the right to discuss local policing issues with their local police officers at regular meetings.
In addition, the proposals made clear that on the issue of serious crime the 43 police forces in England and Wales would either have to have greater cooperation, or that the serious crime elements of their function would be invested in a National Serious Crime Force.
Police Pay
The decision by the Home Secretary to refuse to implement the recommendation of the Police Arbitration Tribunal of a 2.5% increase in pay has caused widespread anger, especially as this decision stood in sharp contrast to the decision of the Scottish Government to fully implement the award for police officers in Scotland by backdating it to 1 September 2007. By implementing the award with effect from 1 December 2007 for officers in England and Wales, the Home Secretary effectively reduced it to 1.9%, claiming that this was necessary in order to control inflation, despite the fact that police authorities had already made provision for the full 2.5% increase from their revenue budgets.
Mandatory drug tests
Scotland's police forces are to introduce mandatory drugs tests in an attempt to stamp out substance abuse by officers. The zero-tolerance policy will bring Scotland's police into line with the Army and other agencies and companies, as concerns grow over the number of police officers using recreational drugs. The Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland is behind the roll out of the scheme.
Overseas police forces in the UK
There are certain instances where police forces of other nations operate in a limited degree in the United Kingdom:
- The Police aux Frontières or PAF (French Border Police), a division of the Police Nationale, is permitted to operate in regard to Eurostar rail services through the Channel Tunnel. This includes on Eurostar trains to London, within the international terminal at St Pancras Station, at Ebbsfleet and Ashford International railway stations, and at the Cheriton Parc Le Shuttle terminal (alongside French Customs officials). The PAF also operate at Dover Ferry terminals. This arrangement is reciprocated to the British Transport Police, UK Border Agency, and UK Customs Officers on Paris bound trains and within the terminal at Paris Gare du Nord, Coquelles (Le Shuttle), Gare de Lille-Europe, Bruxelles-Midi/Brussel-Zuid and the Calais, Dunkerque, and Boulogne ferry terminals. The French police officers are not permitted to carry their firearms in the London Terminal; the firearms must be left on the train.
- An Garda Síochána na hÉireann (The Irish Police), under a recent agreement between the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, have the right, alongside the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland, to carry out inspections of the Sellafield nuclear facility in Cumbria.
- In 2006 a small number of officers from the Policja (Polish Police) were seconded to the North Wales Police to assist with the supervision of foreign (largely eastern European) truck traffic largely on European route E22 (the A55 road). The Chief Constable of North Wales has publicly stated (November 2006) that he is considering directly recruiting a small number of officers from Poland to assist with policing the substantial population of Polish people that has migrated to his area since Poland's accession to the EU in 2004.
- Military Police of forces present in the UK within the terms of the Visiting Forces Act 1952 are permitted to travel to/from relevant premises in uniform and their (usually distinctive) vehicles will occasionally be seen. Their powers (including the carrying of firearms) are generally limited by that and other legislation to those necessary for the performance of duties related to their own forces and to those possessed by the General Public.
See also
Topics
Bodies
Databases
Other
External links
National Police Resources
Staff Associations
Complaints against police
Non-official and Independent Sites
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