An independent commission co-chaired by Lord Blunkett (a former Labour home secretary) and Lord Herbert (a former Conservative policing minister) published a comprehensive review of police leadership in England and Wales on 6 July 2026. Its central finding: standards are not consistently high enough and need fundamental reform.

The Police Leadership Commission was established in October 2025 with Home Office backing, at a time when public trust in policing had been falling. The evidence is substantial — nearly 2,000 sergeants and inspectors surveyed, more than 400 written submissions, and expert workshops. The cross-party chairmanship was clearly designed to protect the findings from being dismissed as politically motivated, and the scale of the problems identified shows why that protection was necessary.

The statistics are sobering. Not one of the 43 police forces in England and Wales received an outstanding rating for leadership in recent inspections. Almost a third were rated as requiring improvement; two were judged inadequate. Lord Blunkett told the BBC that eight current or former chief constables are facing disciplinary action or awaiting its start — roughly one in five of all forces.

At the root of the problem is the shortage of senior leaders in the pipeline. Chief constable roles often attract only one qualified candidate. Almost a third of frontline officers have fewer than five years' experience, which means the service lacks the depth of experienced staff from which senior leaders are normally developed. The Commission found a patchwork of different promotion decisions across forces, with concerns about nepotism and favouritism. Investment in leadership training has declined sharply.

The recommendations are wide-ranging. A National Academy of Police Leadership should be created to develop future chief constables. Central funding for leadership development — reduced during the austerity years — must be restored, with NHS arrangements cited as a model. All chief officers, including chief constables, should undergo an annual performance review, a standard that is not yet universal. New national training for constables and a reformed sergeant qualification (to replace an exam that fewer than half of candidates pass) are also proposed.

One proposal deserves particular attention: a new senior constable rank. This would formally recognise and reward experienced frontline officers who lead informally and mentor colleagues — acknowledging that leadership in policing is not the same as moving out of frontline work. The Commission's immediate priority is defining effective police leadership clearly, which will then shape the accreditation and development frameworks.

Sir Andy Marsh, former chief constable and chief executive of the College of Policing, called the review the most comprehensive examination of police leadership in a generation. Policing minister Sarah Jones said the recommendations would guide the government's police reform programme. The Home Office said it would consider the recommendations — a measured response that may not be the final word, given the report's credibility and the minister's positive tone.

Policing in England and Wales is governed from Westminster, not devolved to local or regional governments. The report's recommendations do not automatically apply to Police Scotland, the Police Service of Northern Ireland, or Welsh forces, though the National Academy would presumably serve all 43 forces. Holyrood and Stormont would need to decide separately about similar arrangements.

The Commission does not fully address one larger question: how these changes happen together. Restoring funding, creating an academy, reforming qualifications, introducing annual reviews, and establishing a new rank are each manageable on their own. Doing all simultaneously, within tight spending limits, is far harder. Whether this report leads to real structural change or joins the many well-regarded policing reviews that changed little will depend on what the Home Office does next — and how far ministers are willing to legislate rather than simply encourage.