LONDON, July 5, 2026 – The top ranks of British policing are facing a crisis of confidence, with a major new report set to call for a "fundamental overhaul" of leadership, ethics, and culture across the service. In an exclusive interview aired Sunday, former Home Secretary Lord David Blunkett warned that the current state of police leadership is "not good enough" and requires an urgent "ethical reset."
Speaking ahead of the Monday release of a joint report with former Conservative policing minister Lord Peter Herbert, Blunkett revealed deep systemic failures. The report, commissioned by the College of Policing, comes as public trust in law enforcement continues to erode. "At the moment, the service isn’t good enough," Blunkett told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg program. "The morale and motivation of many of those working in the service needs a reset."
The review paints a grim picture of the 43 police forces in England and Wales. None received an "outstanding" leadership rating in the latest inspections, while nearly a third were flagged as needing improvement, and two were deemed inadequate. Blunkett highlighted a staggering number of senior officers under scrutiny: "There are eight former or serving chief constables who are either under disciplinary action or awaiting the result. That’s out of 43 forces." He added that the review found "a very large number of those at senior level who have been or are under investigation."
The report will recommend a "root and branch modernisation" of how officers are recruited, developed, and monitored, citing scarce resources, excessive paperwork, and a "demotivated" workforce stifled by overly risk-averse leadership. Blunkett also addressed the politically charged "two-tier policing" debate, rejecting claims that police treat ethnic minorities more favorably. He dismissed recent allegations by Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, who linked the concept to the tragic murder of a teenager, Henry Nowak, noting that Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has also rejected such claims as an exploitation of tragedy. The report’s publication on Monday is expected to spark immediate calls for resignations and sweeping reforms to restore integrity to British policing.