Police leadership needs fundamental overhaul, review finds

Police leadership is not consistently of a high enough standard and requires a fundamental overhaul, a landmark independent review has warned.

The report by the Police Leadership Commission, published on Monday, found the system for identifying and developing leaders was too weak, with chief constable roles in England and Wales often attracting a single suitable candidate.

It also pointed to low morale and motivation within the service, recommending reformed recruitment and promotion processes.

Policing minister Sarah Jones said the recommendations would shape the government’s “programme of police reform to strengthen leadership, raise standards and restore confidence in policing”.

Speaking ahead of its publication, co-author Lord Blunkett told the BBC the service’s leadership needed an “ethical reset”, with a number of senior officers having faced internal investigations.

“I think at the moment, there are eight former or serving chief constables who are either under disciplinary action or awaiting the result,” he said. “And that’s out of 43 forces.”

The report also highlighted challenges including a scarcity or resources, excessive paperwork and officers feeling “demotivated” by negative and overly risk-averse leadership cultures.

The Commission, chaired by former Labour home secretary Lord Blunkett and former Conservative policing minister Lord Herbert, was set up in October 2025 with the support of the Home Office amid declining public confidence in the service and heightened scrutiny of its culture.

Evidence was gathered from a survey of nearly 2,000 sergeants and inspectors, expert round-table discussions and more than 400 responses to an open call for evidence.

Areas of concern highlighted by the Commission included a lack of leadership support for frontline officers, with almost a third having less than five years’ experience according to recent workforce data, external.

It also found a postcode lottery system of promotion, with some officers raising concerns about nepotism and favouritism, as well as limited investment in leadership development.

Following the report’s publication, Lord Blunkett said the Commission had found “outstanding examples of those who have transformed delivery to the public” but also “extraordinarily worrying evidence requiring profound change”.

It recommends that central funding for police leadership development should be restored in line with other public services, such as the NHS.

Other recommendations include a new senior constable rank to reward and recognise experienced frontline officers who provide leadership and mentor colleagues, as well as nationally accredited training for new constables.

It also called for a new sergeant qualification to replace an “outdated” exam currently passed by fewer than half of candidates, as well as “urgent action to build a credible pipeline of future chief constables”.

The Commission recommended a National Academy of Police Leadership to provide “consistent, high-quality development” across forces to support a “stronger candidate pipeline”.

Sir Andy Marsh, a former chief constable and chief executive at the College of Policing, said the report was “the most comprehensive examination of police leadership in a generation”.

He added: “We will seize this opportunity to invest in officers and staff with time and resources so that they can do what they joined policing to do, protect the public and catch criminals.”

None of the 43 police forces in England and Wales were graded “outstanding” for leadership in the most recent inspection round. Almost a third were rated as needing improvement, and two as inadequate.

The Home Office said it would consider the Commission’s recommendations and publish a government response this autumn.

Policing minister Sarah Jones said the department was aware of significant challenges facing leaders, as well as “too many examples where leadership has failed to meet the standards that officers and the public rightly expect”.

She added: “Every officer deserves access to high-quality training, development and leadership throughout their career and we know this is not being delivered consistently.”