As I outlined previously here, the government launched a white paper on police reform, followed by inclusion in the King’s Speech, intended to significantly reduce the number of police forces across the United Kingdom.
Safety and security are the foundations of growth and prosperity.
As reported in The Times, business organisations representing millions of workers across the UK have come together in support of retaining an independent City of London Police.
The force delivers responsive, high-quality policing in the Square Mile, a service businesses greatly value, directly benefit from, and fund through the City’s Business Rate Premium. It also has vital dedicated specialist capabilities on fraud, located at the centre of UK financial activity.
With fraud now accounting for 46% of all offending, that expertise is critical to tackling a significant and increasing cost to UK plc and a threat to our wider economic security.
As a City of London Police Board Member, I support the Government’s aims to make policing more efficient, effective, and accountable. The City of London Police is both high-performing and highly responsive. Its specialist capabilities across economic, fraud and cyber crime should be harnessed by a future National Police Service, which can build on decades of expertise to tackle fraud at scale.
I join business and political leaders in urging Ministers in the Home Office to think very carefully indeed on this matter.