London police chief calls for 'mega' forces to cut costs – DW – 07/06/2025
The commissioner of London's Metropolitan Police Mark Rowley on Sunday called for major reforms to the United Kingdom's policing model, saying it "hasn't been fit for purpose for at least two decades."
The call comes amid falling public confidence in law enforcement in Britain and as police forces struggle to overcome years of austerity.
Writing in , Rowley called for the 43 police forces in England and Wales to be shrunk into 12-15 regional forces.
The Met chief said some of the forces were "too small to operate," while governance, leadership and support functions had become "ever more expensive."
Rowley complained that investment in new technologies to aid law enforcement had been "politically deprioritized" in favor of maintaining a high number of police officers, which he said made it harder to keep up with modern criminals.
"It [That policy] hinders the effective confrontation of today's threats and stops us fully reaping the benefits of technology," Rowley added.
The Met chief said larger regional forces would make better use of limited funding, required due to the state of Britain's public finances.
Rowley also called for the creation of a national policing body and better use of police staff, including more specialist support.
Unlike Germany and France, the UK doesn't have a national police agency, although the National Crime Agency (NCA), which has responsibility for tackling serious and organized crime, does operate UK-wide.
England and Wales have 43 police forces, including London's Metropolitan Police and Greater Manchester Police, while Scotland and Northern Ireland each have their own national police forces.
The UK's police forces remained weakened by a decade of austerity following the 2008/9 financial crisis.
Police funding was cut by almost a fifth nationally and police officer numbers were cut by 20,000.
Although this number has since been restored, several police forces remain financially strained due to years of underinvestment.
The National Police Chief's Council warned last year that police forces were facing a £3.2 billion (€3.7 billion, $4.4 billion) funding shortfall at a time of rising operational costs.
Despite the UK government promising to hike police funding by 2.3% above inflation each year in a recent spending review, police insiders believe the extra cash will plug gaps rather than fund new initiatives.
The police funding crisis comes as the UK faces an increased threat from organized crime, including drug and human trafficking, immigration offenses and cyberattacks.
Outdated police intelligence infrastructure means that UK police forces often struggle with the scale and sophistication of these crime networks, according to police leaders and government reports.
Other worsening public safety issues are: knife crime, particularly among young people, often fueled by drug dealing, as well as the exploitation of children and other vulnerable individuals by drug gangs to sell narcotics.
The government of Prime Minister Keir Starmer has also made violence against women and girls, including domestic abuse, sexual offenses, and stalking, a major police priority.
However, public trust in policing is at historic lows due to the underfunding, along with high-profile scandals, such as racism, misogyny, and misconduct within police forces.
In the most fwell-known recent case, Sarah Everard, a 33-year-old London woman, was kidnapped, raped, and murdered in March 2021 by a serving Metropolitan Police officer, who abused his authority to deceive her.
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2 days ago
- DW
London police chief calls for 'mega' forces to cut costs – DW – 07/06/2025
The head of the Metropolitan Police has called for dozens of police forces in England and Wales to be merged into 12-15 regional giants. Mark Rowley says the savings made could be used for new crime-fighting technology. The commissioner of London's Metropolitan Police Mark Rowley on Sunday called for major reforms to the United Kingdom's policing model, saying it "hasn't been fit for purpose for at least two decades." The call comes amid falling public confidence in law enforcement in Britain and as police forces struggle to overcome years of austerity. Writing in , Rowley called for the 43 police forces in England and Wales to be shrunk into 12-15 regional forces. The Met chief said some of the forces were "too small to operate," while governance, leadership and support functions had become "ever more expensive." Rowley complained that investment in new technologies to aid law enforcement had been "politically deprioritized" in favor of maintaining a high number of police officers, which he said made it harder to keep up with modern criminals. "It [That policy] hinders the effective confrontation of today's threats and stops us fully reaping the benefits of technology," Rowley added. The Met chief said larger regional forces would make better use of limited funding, required due to the state of Britain's public finances. Rowley also called for the creation of a national policing body and better use of police staff, including more specialist support. Unlike Germany and France, the UK doesn't have a national police agency, although the National Crime Agency (NCA), which has responsibility for tackling serious and organized crime, does operate UK-wide. England and Wales have 43 police forces, including London's Metropolitan Police and Greater Manchester Police, while Scotland and Northern Ireland each have their own national police forces. The UK's police forces remained weakened by a decade of austerity following the 2008/9 financial crisis. Police funding was cut by almost a fifth nationally and police officer numbers were cut by 20,000. Although this number has since been restored, several police forces remain financially strained due to years of underinvestment. The National Police Chief's Council warned last year that police forces were facing a £3.2 billion (€3.7 billion, $4.4 billion) funding shortfall at a time of rising operational costs. Despite the UK government promising to hike police funding by 2.3% above inflation each year in a recent spending review, police insiders believe the extra cash will plug gaps rather than fund new initiatives. The police funding crisis comes as the UK faces an increased threat from organized crime, including drug and human trafficking, immigration offenses and cyberattacks. Outdated police intelligence infrastructure means that UK police forces often struggle with the scale and sophistication of these crime networks, according to police leaders and government reports. Other worsening public safety issues are: knife crime, particularly among young people, often fueled by drug dealing, as well as the exploitation of children and other vulnerable individuals by drug gangs to sell narcotics. The government of Prime Minister Keir Starmer has also made violence against women and girls, including domestic abuse, sexual offenses, and stalking, a major police priority. However, public trust in policing is at historic lows due to the underfunding, along with high-profile scandals, such as racism, misogyny, and misconduct within police forces. In the most fwell-known recent case, Sarah Everard, a 33-year-old London woman, was kidnapped, raped, and murdered in March 2021 by a serving Metropolitan Police officer, who abused his authority to deceive her.
DW
4 days ago
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Football: Ghana star Partey charged with rape in UK – DW – 07/04/2025
Former Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey has been charged with five counts of rape in the United Kingdom. The Ghanaian international denies any wrongdoing. Ghanaian international footballer Thomas Partey has been charged with five counts of rape and one count of sexual abuse, police in the United Kingdom said on Friday. Partey, whose contract with Premier League club Arsenal expired on Monday, is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court in London on August 5. The charges against the 32-year-old have been brought by three women and refer to incidents which allegedly took place between 2021 and 2022. British police said they had been investigating since February 2022. "Our priority remains providing support to the women who have come forward," said Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy of London's Metropolitan Police. "We would ask anyone who has been impacted by this case, or anyone who has information, to speak with our team." Partey's laywer, Jenny Wiltshire, said her client "denies all charges against him" and had "cooperated fully" with police. "He now welcomes the opportunity to finally clear his name," she added. Defensive midfielder Partey was born and grew up in the town of Krobo Odumase, just outside Accra, the capital of Ghana. He moved to Spain in 2012 where he went on to make 188 appearances for Atletico Madrid, scoring 16 goals and winning the Europa League in 2018. He received a La Liga winners medal in 2021 despite having moved to Arsenal earlier in the season for €50 million (around $59 million). He made 167 appearances for the North London club, scoring nine goals as Arsenal finished second in the Premier League for the last three seasons. Partey made his international debut for Ghana in June 2016 and has since played 53 times for the Black Stars, scoring 15 goals and being named Ghanaian player of the year in 2017 and 2018.
DW
4 days ago
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EU-US trade talks: Crunch time looms with no deal in sight – DW – 07/04/2025
EU and US negotiators are attempting to finalize a deal on tariffs before an impending deadline on July 9. Experts say a no-deal scenario is possible. July 9 is almost upon us. That's when 50% tariffs could kick in on EU goods sold to the US if the two sides don't strike a deal beforehand. US President Donald Trump hit EU goods with a baseline tariff of 10% on April 2, and a rate of 25% on imported cars and 50% on steel and aluminum. He threatened to ramp the 10% rate up to 50% by April 9, but a stock market selloff prompted by his tariffs led to a postponement. In the meantime, EU and US negotiators have been working to strike an agreement ahead of the looming deadline, amid doubt in European capitals that EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic will be able to strike a deal that satisfies the member states. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told a press conference on Thursday (June 3) that striking a comprehensive trade deal in 90 days was "impossible" but was hopeful of "an agreement in principle", specifically referring to the agreement the US and UK had struck as a model to aim for. Those watching the negotiations closely say there have been sharp divisions among European Union member states over what concessions are acceptable and on what the US side should offer. For example, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has spoken of the need to strike a deal quickly, criticizing the European Commission's "complicated" approach. "What is at stake here is the rapid resolution of a customs dispute, particularly for our country's key industries," he said. Yet, French President Emmanuel Macron has decried the idea of tariffs being levied by powerful countries as "blackmail", without specifically referring to Trump. Jacob Funk Kirkegaard, from the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington D.C., doesn't think the position of the German chancellor will be "acceptable" for all EU members. "Merz has said a number of times that we can live with a 10% across the board tariff. As long as we don't get a 25% sectoral tariff on cars, etc.," he told DW. While the comments of Sefcovic and von der Leyen have been somewhat conciliatory towards Trump and the US, Kirkegaard considers this to be an attempt to maintain unity amongst member states. "That's basically the Commission trying to protect itself against attacks from member states, because it's obviously they would have to bear the consequences of a trade war," he said. If the UK deal is a model, then the EU will likely have to live with 10% tariffs remaining in place on many goods, as the UK has done. The US-UK agreement cut the 25% tariff on UK cars to 10%, but the number of cars that can be imported on that duty is limited to 100,000 — roughly the amount of cars the UK sold to the US in 2024. Any cars exported above that quota will be subject to a 27.5% tax. The EU sold over 700,000 cars to the US last year. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video However, Kirkegaard believes if the steep car, steel and aluminium tariffs remain at the same level, it will hard for many on the EU side to accept. "As long as that's the case, there's not going to be a deal, in my opinion," he said. "It is ultimately not acceptable to the EU, which is an economy roughly comparable in size to the US, for US tariffs to go up and the EU's to not go up." Kirkegaard argues that in a trade confrontation between economies of the same size, tariffs should "go up together and down together." Bill Reinsch, a senior economics adviser with the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), thinks a UK-style agreement is the most likely outcome. However, what is most important for Trump is the perception that he has "won" rather than what has actually been agreed, Reinsch told DW. "What matters for him is the Oval Office meeting, that so-and-so was agreed, and now everything's going to be fine. So it wouldn't surprise me if in the end there's a 'quote, unquote agreement' with the EU." He argues it would be prudent for the EU to focus on policy outcomes rather than perceptions of who has won. "Let him have the win. If you let him have the win, what he wins doesn't matter. So you don't have to give up very much if you handle it right." One area where there has been a lot of speculation around possible EU concessions, away from tariffs, is on its digital policy, particularly its Digital Services Act and possible digital sales taxes. Germany has been considering a 10% tax on the sales of US digital giants such as Google and Meta's Facebook in Europe. Trump has spoken out against such plans and this week Canada dropped a digital sales tax proposal to keep trade talks with the US alive. Reinsch thinks the EU should prevent member states introducing these taxes because "Trump is right" in his position, he argued, and that is "not even rhetoric." "I think they are clearly discriminatory against some American companies," he said, adding that from a policy standpoint "it's totally the wrong approach." "If you want to build European competitors, you don't do that by dragging down the competition this way. You do it by building European competitors and creating viable options," said Reinsch. As the July 9 deadline looms, serious consideration is being given to the implications of a negotiations blow-up. The EU has described thetrans-Atlantic trade relationship as "the most important commercial relationship in the world," as bilateral trade in goods and services reached €1.6 trillion ($1.88 trillion) in 2023, according to EU Commission data. Kirkegaard says a no-deal scenario could lead to the requirement for fiscal stimulus in some EU countries due to "short-term volatility." But the EU can cope with that, he believes. "We would not be back in [financial crisis of] 2008 or facing a situation similar to even the energy price shock that happened after the Russian invasion in 2022 — absolutely not," he said. He expects the EU to "lose half a percentage point of growth" this year and next year, which was "not trivial," but at the same time "nothing we couldn't live with." Reinsch has a different view, saying a failure would be "bad news" for everybody. "I think in terms of actual trade, it probably would not be as impactful as a blow-up with China because we buy so much more from China. But in terms of disrupting the relationship and particularly disrupting trans-Atlantic investment, I think it would be a huge problem."
