Key facts
- Police leadership in England and Wales is affected by nepotism and bias, according to a report.
- The inquiry found that many senior officers are not focused enough on crime reduction.
- Since 2018, 78 investigations have been launched into police leaders, with issues like cronyism and abuse of position cited.
- A significant majority of frontline officers feel their organization is not well-led.
- The report recommends reforms, including a national police leadership academy.
Police leadership across England and Wales is significantly undermined by "nepotism and bias," and a lack of focus on core crime-fighting duties, a government-backed report has revealed. The inquiry, co-chaired by former home secretary David Blunkett, found systemic issues affecting leadership consistency, capability, and culture across the 43 police forces.
Blunkett described some findings as "staggeringly" poor, stating that police leadership is not consistently at a high enough standard to ensure public trust. The report indicated that leaders are "insufficiently focused on delivering outcomes for the public," with crime reduction not always being the primary goal.
Since 2018, there have been 78 investigations into senior police officers, with common themes including cronyism, nepotism, abuse of position for sexual purposes, and corruption, according to the Independent Office for Police Conduct. The report highlighted the case of former Northamptonshire chief constable Nick Adderley, who was dismissed for lying on his CV and faces fraud charges.
Frontline officers are aware of the leadership deficiencies, with only 13% of constables and 17% of sergeants agreeing that they work in a "well led and managed organisation." The report identified nepotism in promotions as a significant problem, where decisions are often influenced by the leaders at a local level, creating a "jobs for the boys" culture. The professional culture was described as "broken," with a consistent gap between stated values and lived experiences, manifesting as blame cultures and a reluctance to challenge inappropriate conduct.
To address these issues, the report proposes 27 recommendations, including the creation of a new national academy for police leadership, a fast-track program for future leaders, and increased investment in leadership training, which currently accounts for approximately £4 million of the service's £19 billion annual budget.