Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne OBE has criticised plans for merging police forces into regional “super-forces”, saying bigger does not always mean better.
Speaking in response to proposals announced this week, Bourne said the current constabulary model “is envied and admired the world over” but warned that creating larger forces could make policing “too big to manage, too important to fail and too cumbersome and dispersed to be held truly accountable or relatable.”
Bourne highlighted examples such as Police Scotland and the Metropolitan Police, which has faced calls to be broken up over failures to tackle local crimes. While she acknowledged the benefits of shared technology, procurement and equipment, she stressed that there are already national organisations supporting these functions, including Bluelight Commercial and the Police Digital Service.
The Commissioner expressed concern that the plans, driven from Westminster, risk disconnecting policing from local communities. She said:
“Trust in policing begins with feeling that your police force is drawn from the community it serves. Breaking that local relationship risks undoing the trust and confidence that county constabularies have developed with residents and businesses.”
Bourne also criticised centralised target-driven policing models from previous governments, which she said led to a reactive, “firefighting” response and a reduction in neighbourhood policing. She argued that locally elected Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) have restored transparency, accountability and community-focused policing.
Funding was another key issue raised. Bourne warned that regional super-forces would require changes to the police funding formula, which currently relies heavily on local taxpayers in some areas, with contributions sometimes exceeding 60% of the total budget.
She added that a move towards a National Police Service, “in all but name,” could prioritise bureaucratic expediency over public service and risk sidelining local priorities such as neighbourhood policing, tackling antisocial behaviour and road safety.
Bourne criticised the lack of public consultation on the proposed mergers, saying:
“The fact that the planning for these force mergers has been conducted out of public sight and without input or challenge from those currently responsible for police governance, shows that Ministers and Chief Constables are nervous about how these massive changes will land with the public.”
The Commissioner concluded with a warning about rushing reform, particularly if combined with changes to local authorities, adding:
“Reform in haste, repent at leisure. A National Police Service in the hands of extremists and populists has a worrying historical echo to it.”
Bourne called for any modernisation of policing to be balanced with maintaining local accountability, neighbourhood policing and public trust.
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