Here are a pair of comments on the Home Office White Paper, From Local to National: A New Model for Policing, announced in January, that has generated considerable discussion across the security industry, as this publication has covered. First, here’s Russell Dean, pictured, Director of Operations, at the security and facilities management contractor Bidvest Noonan.
While the headlines have understandably focused on the planned National Police Service and substantial investment in AI and facial recognition technology, the reforms also place considerable emphasis on people and partnerships, which I applaud. The document stresses neighbourhood policing – with a clear promise of ‘more officers on the beat’.
For those of us in the private security and facilities management sector, these reforms could have significant implications for how we work alongside policing. In particular, I believe they may create greater opportunities in areas like risk assessment and intelligence services, where specialist expertise will remain in demand.
Enhanced neighbourhood policing
I believe private security professionals can expect their working lives to be improved by the planned overhaul of policing. The government’s commitment to recruit 13,000 additional neighbourhood policing personnel can only enhance public confidence in city centres and neighbourhoods.
These new officers will focus on the crimes that most affect communities, namely shoplifting, theft and anti-social behaviour – areas where private security has often supported efforts to maintain safety and deter crime in public facilities.
The White Paper’s emphasis on professional development is also welcome. For the first time, a national workforce strategy will introduce a “Licence to Practise” system, mandated leadership training at every rank, and specialist pathways for direct entry from other sectors. This reflects an understanding that policing, like private security, must continually adapt to evolving threats.
The £115m investment in artificial intelligence and automation, including the new Police.AI centre, could save an estimated six million policing hours each year, and have knock-on benefits to the private security sector. Expanding Live Facial Recognition vans from 10 to 50 across town centres and high crime hot spots is a major step forward. However, technology is only as effective as the people using it and the safeguards governing its deployment.
Human insight
In our work at Bidvest Noonan, we’ve seen how technology augments but never replaces human judgement. Our security officers are often the first to spot emerging threats, hostile reconnaissance or early indicators of coordinated activity. That local knowledge and situational awareness cannot be automated.
This is particularly relevant as we prepare for the implementation of Martyn’s Law, which will require enhanced protective security and preparedness at publicly accessible locations. At Bidvest Noonan, we’ve developed a comprehensive counter-terror training programmes that involves robust public-private collaboration and goes beyond compliance to build genuine capability.
Our teams learn to recognise suspicious behaviour, respond effectively to incidents and work seamlessly with emergency services. This investment in people and preparedness reflects our view that community security depends on well-trained professionals who understand their environment and can make sound decisions under pressure.
Stronger partnerships
The police reforms could create opportunities for deeper collaboration between public and private security. With the National Police Service focusing on counter-terrorism, serious and organised crime and fraud, whilst local forces concentrate on neighbourhood policing, petty crimes and emergency response, there may be greater scope for specialist risk assessment and intelligence capabilities in the private sector.
Effective two-way intelligence sharing between police and private security has always been important. Our teams work in commercial environments where they provide visible presence and support broader community safety goals. When that local insight flows efficiently to police services, everyone benefits.
For organisations like ours that operate nationally, a more unified policing structure could enhance operational efficiency. Currently, engaging with 43 forces, each with different systems and contacts, can slow down information sharing. A streamlined national model might provide clearer escalation pathways and more consistent intelligence exchange, particularly for security providers supporting national infrastructure or counter-terrorism programmes.
A shared commitment
Having spent over eight years as a police officer with the British Transport Police before moving into private security, I’ve seen public safety from both sides. That dual perspective has shown me something fundamental: no matter how sophisticated our technology becomes, effective security will always depend on people, their training and their ability to work together.
Ultimately, success will depend not just on new structures or tools, but on the quality of the people behind them and their ability to collaborate. Whether in uniform or private security, those committed to public safety share the same goal: communities where people feel safe.
For the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, Merseyside Labour PCC and APCC chair Emily Spurrell has commented on the White Paper, noting that ‘much of the essential detail is still to come’. She pointed to the Pegasus partnership whereby a police national unit and retailers tackle retail theft, calling on Government to avoid a system ‘where central direction stifles this kind of locally led innovation’. For her comments in full, visit the APCC website.
Background
To read the White Paper, visit https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/from-local-to-national-a-new-model-for-policing.
Photo courtesy of Bidvest Noonan.
