Description
The National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) is a national coordination body for law enforcement in the United Kingdom and the representative body for British police chief officers. Established on 1 April 2015, it replaced the former Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), following the Parker Review of the operations of ACPO.
History
The NPCC was established on 1 April 2015 as the replacement organisation of the Association of Chief Police Officers.
In 2010, the Cameron Government announced a series of police reforms including local accountability through police and crime commissioners (PCC), and the creation of the National Crime Agency and the College of Policing. In 2013, the PCCs commissioned General Sir Nick Parker to review the services that ACPO provided and make recommendations about the requirements of a national policing body following the fundamental changes in policing. In 2014, a group of chief officers and PCCs began working together to implement Parker's recommendations and develop a national body. Chief officers voted in support of the group's proposals in July 2014. Chief Constable Sara Thornton was appointed to chair the NPCC on 2 December 2014. ACPO was closed down on 31 March 2015.
In October 2018, the NPCC threatened to take legal action in the High Court against government's plans to cut hundreds of millions of pounds from police funding. The Treasury planned to increase the money each force pays to the police pension scheme. This would involve forces paying a £420 million bill, as well as the 19% cut to police funding since 2010. Police chiefs maintain reductions have make it hard for forces to protect the public. Leaders of three of the biggest forces fear officer levels will drop to those of the 1970s. The NPCC fears if the £420 million bill is dealt with only by cutting police numbers, this will mean 10,000 fewer officers.
