UK plans sweeping overhaul of policing amid surge in online crimes The Record from Recorded Future News

pppLeadershipppCybercrimeppNationstatepp Influence Operations ppTechnologyppCyber DailyppClick Here Podcastpp Free Newsletterpp The British government on Monday unveiled plans for a farreaching overhaul of policing that would centralize the fight against cybercrime fraud and other internetenabled offenses arguing that the current system is no longer equipped for crimes that are increasingly digital and cross geographic borders pp Proposals published by the Home Office call for the creation of a new National Police Service described by officials as Britains equivalent of the FBI which would gradually assume responsibility for tackling serious nonlocal crimes now handled across dozens of separate police forces pp Officials say about 90 of crime now involves a digital element while fraud much of it carried out online accounts for roughly 44 of all recorded offenses Without reform ministers warn police capabilities will continue to lag behind criminal threats pp Crime itself is evolving Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said in a statement Criminals are operating with more sophistication than ever before within this country across our borders and in the online world The proposed changes Mahmood said represent the most significant reform of British policing in nearly 200 years pp The plan outlines a multiyear transition rather than an immediate restructuring as the government moves away from the existing model of 43 territorial police forces in England and Wales Scotland and Northern Ireland have separate policing and legal systems that was last reformed in the 1960s pp Britains current law enforcement system was established by the 1856 County and Borough Police Act which formalized local policing across England and Wales  pp Although the focus on local forces has been prized for the supposed accountability it offers to those being policed it has meant there has never been a national police force something ministers argue has left law enforcement illsuited to the growing number of crimes of a national or international nature pp Under the proposals local forces would remain but likely in a more consolidated form with a renewed focus on neighborhood policing and visible crime Responsibility for cybercrime fraud counterterrorism and other crossborder threats would shift to the new national service pp The National Crime Agency a specialist investigative body created in 2013 and once also billed as Britains FBI would be folded into the National Police Service Unlike the NCA which relies heavily on cooperation with local forces the new service would operate as a full national police force with command authority standardsetting powers and operational control pp Counterterrorism policing currently coordinated through a network led by Londons Metropolitan Police Service would also be absorbed into the national force pp In the near term the Home Office plans to expand national coordination of cyber and fraud policing invest in new digital tools and begin consolidating national crimefighting capabilities That includes increased use of artificial intelligence for administrative work and investigations as well as facial recognition technology pp A new National Centre for AI in Policing backed by 115 million over three years is expected to test and scale technology aimed at speeding digital investigations and easing pressure from backlogs in electronic evidence analysis Officials say about 20000 devices are currently awaiting digital forensic examination pp The government says fragmented IT systems and uneven investment across police forces have slowed investigations and eroded public confidence Criminals the report argues have adapted faster than law enforcement using encryption automation and online platforms to scale offenses at low risk pp An independent review of police force structures is due to report in summer 2026 and will help determine how regional and national units including specialist cyber and fraud teams are merged into the new service pp The expanded use of technology has drawn criticism and the government said it will legislate to regulate facial recognition and introduce stronger oversight of digital policing tools including a public registry of AI systems used by police pp Separately an independent review will reassess how public order and hate crime laws apply to online behavior amid concerns that police have been drawn into policing lawful speech on social media ppAlexander Martinpp is the UK Editor for Recorded Future News He was previously a technology reporter for Sky News and a fellow at the European Cyber Conflict Research Initiative now Virtual Routes He can be reached securely using Signal on AlexanderMartin79 ppPrivacyppAboutppContact Uspp Copyright 2026 The Record from Recorded Future Newsp