Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley has warned that policing is "heading for failure" unless it is reformed to meet the challenges posed by modern criminality. He will argue that the existing system is ill-equipped to cope with the growing complexity and sophistication of offences and offenders.
In forthcoming remarks, Sir Mark is expected to set out why he believes the status quo is untenable. He points to an evolution in criminal behaviour and methods that, in his view, outstrip the capacity and structures of current policing, requiring new approaches, capabilities and resources.
His intervention comes amid an ongoing public debate about how policing should adapt to changes in crime, technology and society. Police leaders, policymakers and campaigners have been discussing issues such as workforce capacity, organisational design and the need for better access to modern investigative tools — concerns that his warning is likely to reinforce.
Sir Mark's call for reform places pressure on national and local decision-makers to outline plans for how policing will be modernised. He says urgent action is required to prevent a decline in effectiveness that could undermine public safety and confidence, and to ensure forces are able to investigate and prevent complex criminal activity in the years ahead.