Summary
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood plans to improve police work in England and Wales by reducing admin tasks and setting faster emergency response times. The reforms include national standards for police response times and possibly reducing the number of police forces. The government aims to improve everyday crime fighting by reorganizing police responsibilities.
Key Facts
- Shabana Mahmood is the Home Secretary planning police reforms in England and Wales.
- The reforms include reducing unnecessary administrative work for police officers.
- Mahmood aims to set a national standard for emergency 999 call responses.
- Proposed response times are within 15 minutes for urban areas and 20 minutes for rural areas.
- There is currently no official way to ensure police meet these response time standards.
- The government plans to introduce a National Police Service to handle major crime investigations.
- The number of police forces might be reduced from the current 43 to fewer, larger units.
- All police officers may be required to have a license to prove they have essential skills for their job.
