Introduction
The highly anticipated Policing Reforms White Paper was released by government this week. This document sets out the plethora of ways the Labour government plans to change the policing system, in what the Home Secretary has called “the most significant changes to policing in this country in nearly 200 years”.
In this blog, we will break down the ways in which these reforms may impact victims of anti-social behaviour.
More Neighbourhood Policing Officers
As announced previously, the government plans to introduce 13,000 additional officers into neighbourhood roles. They have also introduced a Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee which aims to instil confidence in the public that there will be a visible police presence in communities. These local officers will be equipped with new powers such as the upcoming Respect Orders.
Hopefully, the increase in officers and visible presence will make individuals feel safer in their communities. We strongly believe neighbourhood policing is the right approach to tackling ASB and other crimes. This will help ensure victims are aware of their rights and what to expect when they report ASB. We believe neighbourhood policing brings together knowledge and accountability to work towards reducing anti-social behaviour locally and ultimately, nationally.
We are interested to see how effective upcoming powers like Respect Orders will be in addressing anti-social behaviour and will monitor the impact of these introductions closely.
“…neighbourhood policing is a powerful antidote to local crime and the scourge of anti-social behaviour… fostering strong relationships between officers and the public, deterring crime and anti-social behaviour (ASB) and helping people feel safe.”
Policing Reforms White Paper 2026
Named ASB lead in each area
The government has introduced a named ASB lead in each area responsible for preventing and tackling anti-social behaviour locally, working with partners and ensuring victims are central in action planning.
From our conversations with victims, we know that reporting anti-social behaviour can often feel confusing and overwhelming. Many victims tell us they feel passed “from pillar to post”, unsure who to report to and having to repeat their experiences to multiple officers and agencies. The introduction of dedicated ASB leads has the potential to improve this experience by ensuring victims feel confident in who to report ASB to and that issues are escalated appropriately across local services.
“Every force now has a dedicated ASB Lead… responsible for ensuring that there is effective multi-agency collaboration to identify and address the primary issues of anti-social behaviour in the local area… with victims at the forefront.”
Policing Reforms White Paper 2026
Introduction of AI and new technologies
A new National Centre for AI in policing is being introduced, which the government state will reduce the time that officers spend sat behind a desk completing admin work like transcribing and redacting, and give them more time to be out on the beat tackling issues like ASB.
In addition, the government has began rolling out technologies such as Live Facial Recognition vans to local forces which will help to identify criminals wanted by police. This could potentially extend to perpetrators of serious anti-social behaviour.
“By introducing a new National Centre for AI in Policing (‘Police.AI’) and investing £115 million over the next 3 years, we will create a platform for identifying, testing and then scaling AI technology, as well as enabling Chief Constables to deploy AI responsibly and in a way which builds and maintains public consent. … Police.AI will also provide a public-facing registry of the AI being deployed by police forces and the steps they have taken to ensure the reliability of tools before being used for operations.”
Policing Reforms White Paper 2026
Restructuring and the introduction of a National Police Service (NPS)
The government plan to create an overarching central leadership for policing which has been dubbed the “British FBI” as well as significantly reduce the amount of police forces, which currently stands at 43.
This new service will merge existing bodies like the National Crime Agency (NCA), National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), College of Policing and Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP). The NPS would be responsible for:
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- Providing a single source of strategic leadership for the police service
- Setting national standards for policing in areas such as professional practice, training, technology, data and workforce planning.
- Providing local policing with support via deployment of new technologies and equipment as well as delivering the new national forensics service.
- Tackling serious and organised crime, so local police forces can focus on serving their local communities
We hope that the introduction of the NPS will reduce and/or eliminate the postcode lottery faced by victims of ASB across the country. A victim’s geographical location should not determine the level of support they receive from agencies.
However, some politicians have warned against the reduction of police forces, stating: “resources will be drawn away from villages and towns towards large cities.”
Therefore, we hope that the postcode lottery is not simply shifted, and that victims are supported sufficiently regardless of their location.
“The NPS will provide strategic leadership, set standards and provide education, equipment and technology to police forces… It will set strategy, ensure the delivery of national priorities, provide policing with a single source of policy and guidance and constitute a single national voice to improve communication with the public.”
Policing Reforms White Paper 2026
Conclusion
These reforms signal a shift towards a potentially more consistent and joined-up approach to anti-social behaviour. If implemented effectively, victims of anti-social behaviour could see a positive change in how their cases are handled locally. However, policy change alone is not enough. The true impact will be felt in how these reforms are applied on the ground. As these changes unfold, we will continue to monitor input from victims and practitioners and feed this back to policymakers to ensure the victim’s voice remains at the centre of decision making.