New ‘British FBI’ team to tackle terrorism and gang crime in major police shake up
A new national police force dubbed the “British FBI” will take over counter-terrorism, fraud and criminal gang investigations as part of a major shake-up in policing to be announced by the home secretary.
The National Police Service (NPS) will tackle complex and serious crimes such as terrorism, fraud and organized crime to give overstretched local forces more time to focus on everyday crimes such as shoplifting and phone theft.
The NPS will combine the work of the National Crime Agency and regional organized crime units into a single superpower.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, who is set to unveil sweeping reforms to policing in a White Paper on Monday, said she would attract “world-class talent” to the force, adding: “The current policing model was built for a different century.
“Some local forces do not have the skills or resources they need to tackle complex modern crimes such as fraud, online child exploitation or organized crime gangs.”
The government is expected to radically reduce the number of police forces in England and Wales from the current level of 43.
The Home Office wants to launch a scheme for direct entry into senior roles to persuade professionals in the technology and finance sectors to lend their skills to the police. Under the changes, police forces are expected to face new targets in the fight against crime, with underperformers being named and shamed.
Other police forces that will be part of the new NPS include Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) led by the Metropolitan Police, police helicopter resources led by West Yorkshire Police and National Highways Policing.
Ms Mahmood added: “We will create a new National Police Service, dubbed the ‘British FBI’, using world-class talent and cutting-edge technology to track and capture dangerous criminals. By doing this, local forces will be able to devote more time to tackling crime in their communities.”
The NPS will be headed by a National Police Commissioner who will be the most senior police chief in the country.
Once established, it will set standards and training for policing and purchase new technologies such as facial recognition on behalf of all police forces.
The service will be created in phases, sharing technology, intelligence and resources across borders and working with the NCA, CTP and regional organized crime units for the transition.
Backing the plans, Neil Basu, the former head of the Counter Terrorism Police, said it would be “much more capable as a single national security system to combat major crime, organized crime and all forms of terrorism more effectively”.
It comes after officers in the City of London said they were confident they would maintain their national responsibility for fraud under restructuring plans ahead of the announcement.
Metropolitan Police Chief Sir Mark Rowley has previously supported the idea of taking national responsibility for tackling terrorism from his own organisation.
In a joint statement from the Met, CTP and the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), they said they supported a joint police service but added: “But this transformation needs to be undertaken carefully. Its success depends on maintaining strong links with the local policing force and the communities we serve.”
Graeme Biggar, director general of the National Crime Agency, also supports the proposals. He said: “The overall policing system is outdated. “Crime has changed, technology has changed and how we respond to that needs to change.
“As part of reform, we need a single, stronger national law enforcement body, building on the NCA and others, to more coherently tackle organized crime, fraud, terrorism and the new international and online threats we face.”
Ministers have already announced plans to ax police and crime commissioners in 2028 to save at least £100 million and help fund neighborhood policing.
Instead, mayors and council leaders will assume responsibilities for policing regulations.
