Police in England and Wales to get new strict emergency response time limits | Police

Police forces in England and Wales will be told to respond to emergency calls within strict time limits as part of plans to be unveiled on Monday.

The Home Office said police officers would be expected to arrive at the scene of a crime within 15 minutes in urban areas and 20 minutes in rural areas when dealing with serious crimes.

The new time limits will apply if there is a danger to life, a direct threat of violence or the possibility of serious injury or property damage, or if a crime is being committed.

Home Affairs Minister Shabana Mahmood is set to announce the full set of changes, which the Home Office claims are the biggest overhaul in the last two centuries.

Most forces already have response targets for responding to incidents around that time, but the Home Office said there was currently no way to hold them accountable if they failed to meet that standard.

Data on response times is collected differently between forces and police are not called if targets are not met. The Home Office said senior officers from faster forces would be sent to forces with slower response times to advise on improvements.

In a statement, Mahmood said: “People report crimes and then wait hours, even days, to hear back. By the time police arrive, perpetrators and witnesses are long gone. I will reintroduce neighborhood policing and increase patrols in communities to catch criminals and reduce crime.”

John Hayward-Cripps, chief executive of Neighborhood Watch, welcomed the new national standards. “It’s a very basic expectation that the police will respond quickly when you report a crime and it’s serious,” he said. “Not only is it frustrating when this doesn’t happen, it’s also very stressful and undermines trust.”

But police and crime commissioners have warned some forces may struggle to achieve targets without additional investment.

City police and crime commissioner Matthew Scott and Avon and Somerset commissioner Clare Moody said: “While rapid police response is desirable, we know many forces will struggle to achieve these targets without significant investment, as additional staff and advanced control room technology may be needed to achieve them.”

The home secretary also said he would eliminate “red tape” and “unnecessary admin” that prevented civil servants from spending more time.

To tackle everyday crime, the government will increase its commitment to reintroducing visible policing and patrols in communities through the extension of the neighborhood policing guarantee.

In the white paper, titled “From local to national: a new model for policing”, Mahmood is expected to outline changes that will include:

• Reduction in the number of police forces.

• Local police districts to combat everyday crimes such as theft.

• Interior ministers will be given the authority to dismiss police chiefs.

• An FBI-style National Police Agency to lead against terrorism, fraud and organized crime.

• Every police officer in England and Wales must be licensed to serve.

• A fast track for professionals and experts to take on senior police roles.

• A new police commander to lead violent disorder and riots.

• A new national forensic team to help catch rapists and murderers.

While some senior officials supported the plans, lower-level officials questioned whether the changes would make a difference.

A Labor MP and former Home Secretary has questioned whether the government should introduce wholesale reforms rather than focusing on tackling visible street crime such as burglary and mobile phone theft. “These may be necessary reforms in the long term, but they may not be good policy given our position in the polls,” the former minister said.