A major independent review published on 6 July 2026 found that police leadership across England and Wales is not good enough and needs serious change. The report was written by two former government officials — Lord Blunkett (who was Labour's home secretary) and Lord Herbert (who dealt with policing for the Conservatives) — so it comes from across the political divide.

The Police Leadership Commission was set up in October 2025 because public trust in the police has been falling. The commissioners asked nearly 2,000 sergeants and inspectors what they thought, received over 400 written submissions, and held expert discussions. The fact that it was led by people from both main political parties was meant to show the findings were fair and honest — not just one side's argument.

The results are troubling. Not a single one of the 43 police forces in England and Wales got an "outstanding" rating for how it manages leaders. One third need improvement. Two were judged to be inadequate. Lord Blunkett told the BBC that eight current or former police chiefs are facing discipline or waiting to face it — that's roughly one in every five forces.

The core problem is simple: there are not enough experienced officers to become police chiefs. When a chief constable job comes up, often only one person is qualified for it. Almost one third of frontline officers have been in the job for less than five years. The review also found that how officers get promoted depends on where they work — some forces seem to favour certain people over others. Money spent on training future leaders has been cut over recent years.

The review recommends setting up a National Academy of Police Leadership to develop future chiefs. Money for leadership training, which was cut during spending restrictions, should be restored. Police chiefs should have yearly performance reviews, something that does not happen everywhere now. New training for new police officers and a better qualification exam for sergeants (currently less than half of people pass it) are also suggested.

One interesting idea is a new rank of senior constable. This would formally recognise experienced frontline officers who help train others and lead informally — in other words, officers who lead without leaving frontline work.

Sir Andy Marsh, a former police chief and head of the College of Policing, called this the most thorough review of police leadership in over 20 years. Sarah Jones, the policing minister, said the recommendations would shape the government's police reforms. The Home Office said it would think about the proposals — a response that does not commit them fully but suggests they take the review seriously.

One thing to note: police is run from London for England and Wales, not by devolved governments. The recommendations do not automatically apply to Police Scotland, the police in Northern Ireland, or Welsh forces, though a national academy would likely serve all 43 forces. Scotland and Northern Ireland would need to make their own decisions.

There is a bigger question the review does not fully answer. Each of these proposals — new funding, a new academy, new exams, yearly reviews, a new rank — is possible on its own. Doing all of them at once, when money is tight, is much harder. Whether this review actually leads to real change, or just sits on a shelf like many previous reports, will depend on what the government does next.