Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to develop top-level police leadership.

It is essential that every member of the police workforce has the consistent support and skills they need to become leaders who can thrive and continue to deliver for the public.

As part of our police reform programme, we will strengthen police leadership by mandating national leadership standards and reforming the process for appointing Chief Constables.

The College of Policing is the professional body for policing, responsible for setting standards, promoting good practice and supporting everyone working in policing to cut crime and keep the public safe. The Home Office provides funding to the College to support its functions including developing the National Centre for Police Leadership, and there are plans to deliver greater consistency and development in police leadership across forces while respecting operational independence.

The Police Leadership Commission’s report published on 6 July will inform our wider reform programme, helping us to understand how leadership is developed and supported across policing, where barriers to progress remain and what more can be done to strengthen leadership for the future.

We intend to publish a full Government response in the autumn.