British policing is set to undergo its most significant reforms in 200 years, introducing a radical shake-up designed to enhance professional standards, improve accountability, and restructure forces across England and Wales. These sweeping changes include the implementation of a GP-style 'licence to practise' for every police officer and new powers for the Home Secretary to directly intervene in failing forces, alongside a controversial plan to merge the existing 43 police forces.

Under the proposed 'licence to practise', police officers will be required to hold and regularly renew a professional licence, akin to systems used for doctors and nurses. This licence will need revalidation, potentially every five years, subject to officers demonstrating refreshed skills, ongoing training, and successful interviews about their professional development, qualifications, activities, and achievements. The Home Office states this framework will ensure officers are "best equipped with problem solving and technological skills they need to catch more criminals" and maintain a national standard for training, supervision, and development. Policing minister Sarah Jones emphasized that this will equip every officer with "the skills and capabilities to do the job," aiming to rebuild public confidence damaged by recent scandals and weed out those unfit to serve.

However, the 'licence to practise' scheme has drawn sharp criticism. Festus Akinbusoye, former Bedfordshire police and crime commissioner, described it as "an expensive, bureaucratic distraction" that offers no tangible benefits. He argued that it is unnecessary given that police officers already possess warrant cards and undergo rigorous training and vetting. Akinbusoye expressed astonishment that, amidst critical challenges such as collapsing recruitment, appalling retention rates, cultural problems, and a leadership deficit, the Home Office prioritised a new licensing scheme, viewing it as a "total waste of money" that deviates from public priorities for competent and effective policing.

In parallel, the Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, is set to unveil a new policing White Paper that grants her significant new powers. These include the ability to directly sack chief constables and to deploy 'crack squads' of senior officers and experts from high-performing forces into under-performing ones. These specialist teams could focus on improving key areas such as crime detection rates or police response times, ensuring forces fight crime more effectively and are held accountable to the Home Secretary and Parliament.

Further reforms include the introduction of new, centralised policing targets, a departure from policies since the Tony Blair and Gordon Brown era. Chief constables will be required to meet minimum thresholds for 999 response times, victim satisfaction, and public trust and confidence. These results will be published, and forces graded, allowing communities to compare performance. His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary Fire and Rescue Services will also gain statutory powers to issue directions if forces fail to act on recommendations. Additionally, robust mandatory vetting procedures for police officers will be implemented to address concerns arising from examples of offending and corruption.

Perhaps the most far-reaching structural change involves the merger of England and Wales's 43 police forces. This move, the most wide-ranging since the 1960s, is expected to reduce the number of forces significantly, potentially to as few as 10. The Home Office anticipates that these mergers will generate savings on backroom administrative functions, which can then be reinvested into neighbourhood policing. Each new, larger regional force will specialise in complex crimes like murder investigations and organised crime, while retaining 'local policing areas' to address community-specific issues such as shoplifting, mobile phone theft, and anti-social behaviour. An independent review will determine the final number of forces, though concerns have been raised about the substantial initial costs and the significant time commitment required from senior officers.