Wiltshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner has warned that sweeping national reforms to policing could remove local accountability, weaken neighbourhood policing and end up costing the public more.
Philip Wilkinson has raised concerns about proposals set out in a Home Office white paper, which outline plans for major structural changes to policing in England and Wales. While acknowledging the need for reform, he said the current approach risks centralising power and undermining the role of local communities.
Under the proposals, policing could move towards larger regional or national forces, with Police and Crime Commissioners replaced by local policing boards. Mr Wilkinson said this would break the direct link between the public and those responsible for holding police forces to account.
He said that although parts of the white paper were welcome — including moves to standardise training, procurement and national capabilities to tackle serious organised crime and counter terrorism — the overall direction of travel was concerning.
Mr Wilkinson said Wiltshire Police already demonstrates how smaller forces can deliver strong results, despite receiving significantly less funding per head than the national average.
“Bigger isn’t always better — being better is better,” he said. “Creating large regional ‘super forces’ and shifting power towards central government risks draining money from local communities, stripping away accountability and weakening the neighbourhood policing that people depend on.”
He added that merging forces and abolishing the PCC role would result in decision-making being pushed further away from the communities it affects, with little evidence that such changes would improve frontline policing.
Mr Wilkinson argued that while efficiencies should be found at a national level — such as shared IT systems, data, equipment and vehicles — neighbourhood policing must remain locally shaped and locally accountable.
He also questioned claims that abolishing PCCs would save money, saying the costs of restructuring would outweigh any financial benefit and could leave local taxpayers footing the bill.
“The idea that these changes will save money is simply not credible,” he said. “These reforms will cost more, not less, and there is a real risk that funding will be absorbed by new national layers rather than invested in officers, response times and local services.”
The PCC also warned against what he described as headline-led reform driven by a small number of senior figures, rather than evidence or public demand.
He said long-term reform should align with devolution and strengthen democratic oversight, rather than introducing interim structures that dilute accountability.
“We all want better policing — faster responses, more officers on the beat and improved systems,” he said. “That comes from proper investment and strong leadership, not from removing the public’s voice.
“Local accountability matters. Policing only works when it stays close to the people it serves, and I will continue to make sure the public’s voice is heard.”
