Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the capacity of the police mutual aid system to respond to simultaneous civil disorder in multiple police force areas.

We are committed to ensuring the police have the capabilities needed to respond to violent disorder wherever it occurs.

Following the Summer 2024 disorder, His Majesty’s Inspectorate for Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services identified gaps in central public order mobilisation capability. It is important that we learn the lessons from the most significant public disorder in more than a decade.

We have delivered a package via the Police Reform White Paper to strengthen the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and National Police Coordination Centre’s (NPoCC) intelligence, investigation, and co-ordination capabilities. This will equip police forces to respond rapidly to the needs of the communities they serve, enabling them to react in real-time to incidents and emergencies.

The Police Reform White Paper outlines that the National Police Service will have capabilities to direct and coordinate resources where disorder is widespread; ensure national mobilisation is more efficient and effective; and strengthen command, control, and strategic oversight across forces.

We continue to work closely with the NPoCC to ensure mutual aid arrangements can be mobilised effectively when required.