by Dr Clare Torrible, University of Bristol Law School
On 26 January, the Home Secretary announced radical changes to the structure and governance of policing in England and Wales. The proposed reforms entail a significant concentration of police institutional power in fewer Regional Forces (within which there will be several Local Policing Areas) and a new National Police Service. This has raised questions concerning the governance and accountability arrangements that will accompany the restructuring (the G&A Arrangements), about which the current White paper (From Local to National: A New Model for Policing) remains sketchy, pending an Independent Review. (more…)