- Conference
- 2025 Police, Probation and CAFCASS Conference
- Date
- 17 June 2025
- Decision
- Carried
Conference notes the intention of the Home Secretary to publish a White Paper in 2025 covering significant reforms to the way in which policing is delivered in England and Wales. It is expected that the White Paper will cover the following areas: neighbourhood policing, police performance, structures and capabilities and crime prevention.
Conference welcomes the governments Neighbourhood Policing Pledge which aims at restoring neighbourhood policing and reversing cuts to PCSO numbers. But Conference notes that other proposed areas of reform, which are likely to be set out in the White Paper, have the potential to impact significantly on the way in which policing is delivered and therefore on the way our members in forces in England and Wales may work and may be employed in the future.
For example, the proposal to create a new National Centre of Policing to bring together services that police forces can draw upon, to raise standards, and improve efficiency is likely to have major implications for members in key occupations. The Home Secretary has said about the plans for a National Centre of Policing:
“As a starting point, I see this body taking on responsibility for existing shared services, national IT capabilities, and force hosted national capabilities such as the National Police Air Service and Forensics. But looking further ahead, we will explore … the opportunities to expand its remit, around those operational responsibilities where effective coordination is critical for success.”
Possible options for the future of counter-terrorism policing have also emerged from the work of a joint working group including the NPCC, civil servants, HMICFRS, the College of Policing and the APCC in preparation for the White Paper. The Guardian reported on 5 April 2025 that under the proposals being considered: “…counter-terrorism units would gain independence from local forces and become part of a new force covering at least England and Wales, and sitting in a newly created National Centre for Policing…” and that “Other options for counter-terrorism policing being considered ….are for it to become a stand alone independent force,…..or leaving things as they are now.”
In addition to these potential structural changes to policing, which will have implications for our members’ employment arrangements, the White Paper will have a focus on the police workforce with the intention of creating an overall police workforce strategy for England and Wales.
Conference welcomes the input which UNISON was invited to give to the Home Office as part of the preparation for the White Paper and the opportunity which this provided for UNISON to promote the role of police staff in the context of the reform agenda going forward.
Conference calls upon the SGE to work with the Police Staff Sector Committee for England and Wales to:
1. Consult with branches and members on the proposals in the White Paper when published;
2. Continue to promote the role of police staff as part of the Home Office police reform agenda, particularly in respect of the reintroduction of workforce modernisation;
3. Seek to ensure that the employment security and pay and conditions of our police staff members are fully protected in any police reform process;
4. Refresh the ‘We are Police Staff’ campaign with the focus on educating the public, politicians, both parliamentary, local government and the media.