MPs urge delay for key part of policing reform

Police are being forced to work in a “climate of uncertainty” because radical reforms on an “unprecedented” scale are being introduced too quickly by the Government, an influential panel of MPs has found.

The future of Britain’s DNA database, Missing Persons Bureau and other vital services remains unclear even though the body responsible for them, the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA), is due to be phased out in little more than six months’ time.

A report by the Commons Home Affairs Select Committee, published today, describes the situation as “unacceptable” and calls on Ministers to delay the NPIA’s closure from next Spring to the end of 2012.

Committee chairman Keith Vaz said: “The police perform a difficult and dangerous task on behalf of the public and the continuing uncertainty about the future of many of the bodies involved in policing has the potential to be very damaging.”

The report advises against giving the additional responsibilities to the Metropolitan Police, which has seen two of most senior officers leave in the wake of the phone hacking scandal.

The MPs said: “Given the recent upheaval and uncertainty at the Metropolitan Police, following the resignation of the Commissioner (Sir) Paul Stephenson, and Assistant Commissioner John Yates, we do not believe that it would be helpful, either for it or for the police service as a whole, for it to take on any additional national functions at this time.”

They added that the Home Office should also consider moving the UK’s counter-terrorism command from Scotland Yard to the new National Crime Agency (NCA) after next year’s Olympics in London.

The report describes as “regrettable” the Government’s delay in appointing a head of the NCA, which will be aimed at strengthening the UK’s borders and tackling serious and organised crime.

It also condemns IT systems across the police service, stating they are “not fit for purpose, to the detriment of the police’s ability to fulfil their basic mission of preventing crime and disorder”.

The committee found that the most radical review of police pay in more than 30 years, led by former rail regulator Tom Winsor, was having an “inevitable impact on morale” in the service but more could be done to mitigate this.

It recommended Mr Winsor spend more time visiting officers and civilian staff to learn about their concerns, and that the Home Office set up a website to answer questions about the changes.

Paul McKeever, chairman of the Police Federation, which represents rank-and-file officers in England and Wales, backed the call to delay the reforms.

“We are not asking the Prime Minister to scrap all of the plans for reform,” he said. “We are simply asking that he and his Cabinet pause, and take time to reflect and listen to what the men and women who police our streets are saying.

“Officers feel they are being attacked from every side but more demoralising for them is that they feel the Government has made a firm decision to ignore everything rank-and-file officers are saying.”

John Graham, director of the Police Foundation think tank, said: “The NPIA plays an important role in driving police efficiency and effectiveness, and it is essential that this work is continued.”