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Police forces in England and Wales will be told to respond to emergency calls within strict time limits as part of plans to be announced on Monday.
Officers will be expected to arrive at crime scenes within 15 minutes in urban areas and 20 minutes in the countryside while attending serious crimes, the Home Office said.
The new time limits will apply if there is a danger to life, an immediate threat of violence or the possibility of a serious injury or damage to property, or if a crime is in progress.
Shabana Mahmood, the home secretary, is preparing to announce a full package of changes that the Home Office claims to be the biggest overhaul in two centuries.
Most forces already have response targets to respond to incidents within those times, but the Home Office said there was no way of holding them accountable at present if they failed to meet that standard.
Data on response times is collected differently across forces and police are not called in if targets are not met. Forces with slow response times would be sent senior officers from faster forces to advise on improvements, the Home Office said.
Mahmood said in a statement: “People are reporting crimes and then waiting hours or even days for a response. By the time the police arrive, the perpetrators and witnesses are long gone. I will restore neighbourhood policing and scale up patrols in communities to catch criminals and cut crime.”
John Hayward-Cripps, the chief executive of Neighbourhood Watch, welcomed the new national standards. “It’s a very basic expectation that police will respond when you report a crime, and quickly when it is serious,” he said. “When that doesn’t happen, it’s not just frustrating, it is very stressful and damages trust.”
Police and crime commissioners have warned, however, that some forces will struggle to meet the targets without additional investment.
Matthew Scott, the police and crime commissioner for Kent, and Clare Moody, the commissioner for Avon and Somerset, said: “While a rapid police response is desirable, we know that many forces will struggle to meet these targets without significant investment, as they may require additional staff and upgraded control room technology to deliver.”
The home secretary has also said she will cut “red tape” and “unnecessary admin” that prevents officers from spending more time on the beat.
To fight everyday crime, the government will ramp up its pledge to restore visible policing and patrols in communities through an extension of its neighbourhood policing guarantee.
In a white paper entitled: “From local to national: a new model for policing”, Mahmood is expected to outline changes that will include:
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A reduction in the number of police forces.
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Local policing areas to deal with everyday crimes such as shoplifting.
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Home secretaries to be given the power to sack chief constables.
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An FBI-style National Police Service to lead on terrorism, fraud and organised crime.
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Every police officer in England and Wales to hold a licence to serve.
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A fast track for professionals and experts so they can take senior police roles.
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A new police commander to lead on violent disorder and rioting.
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A new national forensics team to help catch rapists and murderers.
While some senior officers have voiced support for the plans, rank and file officers have questioned whether the changes will make a difference.
One Labour MP and former Home Office minister questioned whether the government should be pushing through wholesale reforms rather than concentrating on tackling visible street crimes such as shoplifting and mobile phone thefts. “These may be necessary reforms in the long run but they might not be good politics, given our position in the polls,” the former minister said.
