A new National Policing Forum has been set up to give Government a strategic vision of the way forward for policing.It will contribute to the drawing up of the National Policing Plan, a key element in the Government’s police reform programme.
The Forum will be made up of people from the voluntary sector, victims’ support groups, and ethnic minority leaders as well as professional policing groups. It’s the first time victims have been given a voice in the formation of policing objectives and priorities.
The National Policing Plan will set out the Government’s priorities for policing, their delivery and indicators by which performance will be measured. The Government sees the forum as a single place where this issues can be discussed.
It’s promised that such a listening and consultative measure will make the National Policing Plan tackle the issues the public think are important.
The Association of Chief Police Officers have welcomed the setting up of the forum as representing the essence of British Policing – achieved by consensus.
The White Paper, Policing a New Century: A Blueprint for Reform, gave a commitment to setting up the National Policing Forum.
The National Policing Forum will meet at least three times a Year and have representation from the Home Office, HMIC, ACPO, APA, the Metropolitan Police, Superintendent’s Association, Police Federation, National Black Police Association, UNISON, Victim Support, Local Government Association, the NHS Confederation, the Association of Directors of Social Services, and the Association of Chief Education Officers, voluntary sector and minority ethnic groups.