Police forces will be required to reach emergency incidents in urban areas within 15 minutes under radical new government reforms aimed at catching more criminals.
The new national standards, announced by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, will also set a 20-minute target for rural call-outs. Additionally, forces will be expected to answer 999 calls within 10 seconds to ensure consistency across the country.
The move is part of a wider “policing blueprint” intended to slash red tape and return officers to the frontline. The government has pledged to scrap the “Officer Maintenance Grant,” which critics say has previously encouraged forces to keep uniformed officers in back-office roles like HR and IT to meet arbitrary headcount targets.
As part of an extension to the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, every council ward in England and Wales will now have its own named, contactable officers. Residents are promised a response to any neighbourhood query within 72 hours.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said: “People are reporting crimes and then waiting hours or even days for a response. By the time the police arrive, the perpetrators and witnesses are long gone. I will restore neighbourhood policing and scale up patrols to cut crime.”
The reforms come as data shows a sharp rise in “everyday” offences, with shop theft up by 72% and street theft rising by 58% nationally since 2010. To combat this, the government is investing a record £18.4 billion—an 11% real-terms increase compared to 2023/24.
John Hayward-Cripps, Chief Executive of Neighbourhood Watch, welcomed the move: “It is a basic expectation that police will respond quickly when a crime is serious. When that doesn’t happen, it damages trust. Introducing national standards and the resource required to meet them is a welcome step.”
James Lowman, of the Association of Convenience Stores, added: “Retailers tell us the most effective way to deter crime is more police presence. Shopkeepers should be confident that when they report a crime, it will be investigated.”
The government also aims to continue the “Right Care, Right Person” programme, which saves thousands of officer hours by ensuring health professionals, rather than police, attend mental health calls where no crime has been committed.
