A “British FBI” will be created to fight the most serious crime and help local police forces focus on tackling everyday offences.
The National Police Service (NPS) will be established in England and Wales to tackle crimes such as terrorism, fraud and organised crime that are not constrained by areas, the home secretary will announce on Sunday.
Shabana Mahmood will say the NPS will attract “world-class talent” and use “state-of-the-art” technology – although a start date has not been revealed.
The NPS will be in charge of purchasing new tech and equipment for all forces – and will include a nationwide roll-out of facial recognition tech, which has seen London’s Metropolitan Police arrest more than 1,700 suspects in two years.
It will also bring the National Crime Agency, counter-terrorism policing, regional organised crime units, police helicopters and national road policing under a single organisation.
Currently, different forces are responsible for those sections of national policing.
A national police commissioner will be appointed to lead the NPS, making them the most senior police officer in the country.
The home secretary said: “The current policing model was built for a different century.
“Some local forces lack the skills or resources they need to fight complex modern crime such as fraud, online child abuse or organised criminal gangs.
“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.
“In doing so, local forces will be able to spend more time fighting crime in their communities.”
Read more: Out of date policing needs ‘overdue’ shake up, says Met Police chief
One of the main aims is to boost the 43 local forces’ ability to spend more time fighting crime in their communities, such as shoplifting, drug dealing, phone theft and anti-social behaviour.
The Home Office said the NPS will make sure the public receives the same service from the police, no matter where they live.
The new force will also set professional standards and training requirements for policing, so every officer in the country is subject to the same standards.
In a bid to be more accountable to the public, local forces will have new targets on 999 response times, victim satisfaction, public trust and confidence.
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They will be published, and forces will be graded for comparison.
As policing in Scotland and Northern Ireland is devolved, the NPS will only cover England and Wales.
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The announcement comes ahead of Ms Mahmood announcing plans which the government has said will be the largest reforms to policing since the police service was founded 200 years ago.
She is expected to outline reforms that mean local forces protect their community, and national policing protects everyone.
Ms Mahmood will be speaking to Sky News’ Trevor Phillips on Sunday morning from 8.30am.
