Answers to commonly asked questions about the police leadership commission
What is the police leadership commission?
The police leadership commission is a major initiative to review police leadership in England and Wales. The commission was established by the College of Policing and is chaired by:
- The Rt Hon the Lord Blunkett, PC
- The Rt Hon the Lord Herbert of South Downs, CBE PC
Lord Blunkett and Lord Herbert of South Downs are supported by a panel of commissioners. The commissioners include senior representatives from UK policing and international policing, as well as leaders from the public and private sector.
Why is a commission reviewing police leadership?
Policing is responding to rapid changes to both society and crime. Public trust and confidence in policing has been strained by recent negative inspection findings, performance issues and reports of poor culture and conduct.
The government is working with policing on an ambitious programme of reform. High-quality leadership will be a driving force for delivering reform and the police performance that the public expect, ensuring that the police cut crime and keep people safe.
Strong and effective leadership at all levels:
- sets the tone for organisational culture
- promotes high standards of professional behaviour
- enables successful organisational change
- inspires delivery of the best possible policing outcomes for the public
The police leadership commission is a timely opportunity to consider the impact of work to strengthen police leadership over the last decade. It also provides a look forwards, to determine what needs to be done differently to nurture the police leaders of tomorrow. This will inform the government’s work on police reform.
What is the scope of the commission?
The review is focused on the future and will cover the entirety of the policing workforce, including police officers, staff and volunteers.
It has three principal objectives:
- Assess how leadership skills and capability are currently embedded across police forces and where gaps remain.
- Identify the barriers and opportunities to delivering – and ensuring – ongoing, effective and consistent leadership standards, development, progression and performance across the service.
- Recommend and prioritise solutions that enable leadership reform and culture change. This includes ways to embed consistent leadership standards and ongoing training and development as the foundation of operational capability, frontline performance, wellbeing, improved productivity and a positive culture.
The commission will provide an evidence base for practical ways to further improve leadership capability across policing.
Is the commission supported by the government?
Yes. The Home Secretary has written to Lord Blunkett and Lord Herbert of South Downs to give her support for the review. The Home Office has provided £250,000 to facilitate the work over a six-month period, beginning in October 2025.
The commission will report findings, conclusions and recommendations to the government in May 2026.
How can people get involved in the commission?
The commission will seek to engage a wide range of people as it gathers evidence. We expect there to be specific opportunities for those working at all levels in policing, and the public, to contribute to the commission and will communicate these when they arise.
A reference group, involving key policing stakeholders and those with relevant expertise, has been established to support the commission. Members of the reference group will have opportunities to provide advice and commentary and, where relevant, represent the views of their policing stakeholder group. The group will also be provided with regular updates on the progress of the commission.
To contribute to the review, email LeadershipCommission@college.police.uk