Britain’s government said on Saturday it will create a new National Police Service, described as a “British FBI”, to modernise policing and deal with terrorism, fraud, organised crime and other complex criminal activity.
The new force will bring together the work of the National Crime Agency, which investigates serious organised crime such as drug smuggling and people trafficking, with other country-wide roles like counter-terrorism and national road policing.
Once appointed, its chief – the National Crime Commissioner – will be the most senior officer in the country. Currently, the head of London’s Metropolitan Police is Britain’s highest-ranking law enforcement official.
Creation of the National Police Service will form part of major police reforms the government is due to unveil on Monday, which it is casting as the biggest shake-up in policing since Robert Peel established the first professional force in 1829.
“The current policing model was built for a different century,” Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, the UK’s interior minister, said in a statement.
“We will create a new National Police Service – dubbed ‘the British FBI’ – deploying world class talent and state of the art technology to track down and catch dangerous criminals,” she said, likening it to the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation.
There are currently 43 local police forces in England and Wales, with some holding national roles, such as the London police, which is responsible for counter-terrorism.
Mahmood said the shake-up would allow local forces to focus on dealing with everyday offences, such as shoplifting and anti-social behaviour, and catching criminals in their areas.
It is also expected that, as part of the changes announced on Monday, the government will cut the overall number of forces in Britain in a move to save money and reduce crime.
(Reporting by Michael Holden）
