UK’s new ‘British FBI’ set to tackle major crime and support local police

Enter a new law enforcement

The “British FBI” will fight the most serious crime and aid local police in tackling everyday offences, it has been announced.

It will be called National Police Service and will be established in England and Wales.

The NPS will also have a national police commissioner, making them the most senior police officer in the country.

The home secretary announced on Sunday that it's going to tackle crimes such as terrorism, fraud and organised crime that are not constrained by areas.

Shabana Mahmood said that the NPS will attract “world-class talent” and use “state-of-the-art” technology.

A start date has not been revealed yet for the National Police Service, which will be in charge of purchasing new tech and equipment for all forces.

The service will include a nationwide roll-out of facial recognition tech, which has seen London's Metropolitan Police arrest more than 1,700 suspects in two years.

The National Crime Agency, counter-terrorism policing, regional organised crime units, police helicopters and national road policing are all to be brought under a single organisation.

These sections of national policing are currently under the responsibility of different forces.

“The current policing model was built for a different century. Some local forces lack the skills or resources they need to fight complex modern crime such as fraud, online child abuse or organised criminal gangs”, the home secretary said.

“We will create a new National Police Service - dubbed 'the British FBI' - deploying world-class talent and state-of-the-art technology to track down and catch dangerous criminals. In doing so, local forces will be able to spend more time fighting crime in their communities”, she added.

The home secretary is expected to outline reforms that mean local forces protect their community, and national policing protects everyone.