Eight former or serving chief constables are under disciplinary action or awaiting results – a crisis that, according to a landmark independent review, reflects a systemic failure in police leadership. The Police Leadership Commission, whose report was published on Monday, found that leadership across the service in England and Wales "is not consistently of a high enough standard" and requires a fundamental overhaul.
The commission, co-chaired by former Labour home secretary Lord Blunkett and former Conservative policing minister Lord Herbert, was set up in October 2025 with Home Office support amid declining public confidence. It gathered evidence from a survey of nearly 2,000 sergeants and inspectors, expert roundtables and more than 400 responses to an open call. What it found, Lord Blunkett said, was "outstanding examples" of transformative leadership alongside "extraordinarily worrying evidence requiring profound change".
“Eight chief constables face disciplinary action as a review finds police leadership needs a fundamental overhaul.”
The report highlights nepotism and bias in promotion, describing a "postcode lottery" system where some officers raised concerns about favouritism. It warns that leadership development is underfunded and that frontline officers – nearly a third of whom have less than five years' experience – lack support. Morale is low, driven by excessive paperwork, scarce resources and "negative and overly risk-averse leadership cultures". The review also found that chief constable roles in England and Wales often attract a single suitable candidate, exposing a weak system for identifying and developing leaders.
Among its recommendations, the commission calls for central funding for police leadership development to be restored in line with other public services such as the NHS. It proposes a new senior constable rank to reward experienced frontline officers and nationally accredited training for new constables, as well as a new sergeant qualification to replace what it called an "outdated" system. Reformed recruitment and promotion processes are also urged.
Policing minister Sarah Jones said the recommendations would shape the government's "programme of police reform to strengthen leadership, raise standards and restore confidence in policing". Lord Blunkett said the service needed an "ethical reset", noting that eight out of 43 forces had senior officers facing internal investigations. The government has pledged to act, but the scale of the overhaul demanded suggests a long road to restoring public trust.