Centralisation of the police force. Sinister development? State militarized policing system.
'British FBI' will free up forces to tackle everyday crime, home secretary says
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The new body will buy technology such as facial recognition on behalf of all police forces
A new National Police Service (NPS) will free up local forces to tackle everyday crime by taking over responsibility for counter-terror, fraud and organised crime investigations, the home secretary has said.
Shabana Mahmood told the BBC the NPS, which she has dubbed a "British FBI", was "absolutely not" about saving money but about designing a new policing model for England and Wales.
It will bring the work of existing agencies such as the National Crime Agency (NCA) and regional organised crime units under the same organisation, buying new technology such as facial recognition on behalf of all forces.
Mahmood said the current policing system was "broken" and the new body will form part of a series of police reforms for England and Wales which she will unveil on Monday.
Other reforms announced recently include:
The number of police forces in England and Wales will be "significantly …