Lord Blunkett said police leadership in England and Wales needs an ethical reset after a review found the service is not good enough. He said eight former or serving chief constables are either under disciplinary action or awaiting the result, and the report will be published on Monday.
Speaking to the ahead of publication, he said: "At the moment, the service isn't good enough." He added: "At the moment, the morale and motivation of many of those working in the service needs a reset."
England and Wales review findings
The review was commissioned by the College of Policing and co-authored by Lord Blunkett and Lord Herbert. It covers all 43 police forces in England and Wales and says none were graded outstanding for leadership in the most recent inspection round, while almost a third were rated as needing improvement and two police forces were rated inadequate.
Lord Blunkett said the report will say there are significant causes for concern and that police leadership requires a fundamental overhaul. He said the review found resource scarcity, excessive paperwork and demotivating leadership cultures, and that it was intended to help the service respond to evolving threats and deliver government targets.
Lord Blunkett on senior discipline
On Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, he said: "I think at the moment, there are eight former or serving chief constables who are either under disciplinary action or awaiting the result." He added: "All of that leads us to believe that a new ethical reset is required."
He said the report makes clear that there is no room for culture wars or woke, and that "It's the job of the police to deliver." The report's publication on Monday will set out what changes are proposed to recruitment, development and monitoring, but those details have not yet been made public.
