The new body to coordinate operational policing and collaboration amongst forces at the national level has been established.
The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) will bring together operationally independent and locally accountable chief constables and their chief officer teams to join up the operational response to the most serious and strategic threats.
It will work closely with the College of Policing, which is responsible for developing professional standards, to develop national approaches on issues such as finance, technology and human resources.
Chief Constable Sara Thornton will chair the NPCC supported by two vice-chairs in addition to their day jobs as chief officers within forces. Chief Constable Peter Vaughan has already been appointed and a second vice-chair will be shortly following a ballot of chief officers.
Sara said:
I am delighted to lead the NPCC as we meet the challenges facing the police service. Some of the biggest threats we face in the UK, like terrorism and organised crime, are national and international; so there has never been a greater need for forces to work together.
Demand is changing. We are balancing an increasing number of major investigations into crimes that may taken place many years ago with tackling the issues of today and tomorrow. We are dealing with an unprecedented increase in levels of complex crimes such as sexual abuse and cybercrime, which take longer to investigate and require more resources. All of this against a background of significant budget cuts means that we have to prioritise carefully and change the way we police.
I look forward to working with my chief constable colleagues to ensure we have the best coordinated response to protect the public.”
In the coming months, the NPCC will develop an annual delivery plan to determine where it will focus efforts for the first year.