Today's launch of the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) has put the police service in the driving seat on policing improvement. NPIA will work for the service and directly support forces to deliver the best possible policing service to the public, both today and into the future. Its success is dependent on a close working relationship with the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), the Association of Police Authorities (APA) and the Home Office. The agency is responsible for managing a coherent programme of improvement work that is agreed and supported by the police service and delivered by forces. NPIA will provide leadership and expertise to the service in areas as diverse as information and communications technology, support to information and intelligence sharing, core police processes, managing change and recruiting, developing and deploying people. Having a single national organisation in charge of this work for the first time will help to streamline and simplify the way policing improvement is delivered nationally and locally. Chief Executive, Chief Constable Peter Neyroud said: "NPIA will understand the support that the police service needs because it will work for the service through its close relationship with ACPO, the APA and the Home Office. We know that challenges lie ahead, but we are confident that NPIA will deliver real, incremental improvements to policing within short timescales. "Although NPIA is an agency, I am proud to say, as a chief constable, that we will be working for, and governed by, the tripartite partners, ACPO, APA and the Home Office who are collectively accountable for policing in England Wales and Northern Ireland. " "NPIA must earn the trust and respect of the service. We must provide honest leadership and, on occasions, take tough decisions in the interests of policing. We will be decisive, review our work continuously and, if necessary, stop projects and programmes that do not help forces to deliver improved policing." From its first day of operation NPIA is also responsible for delivering and improving critical support that the police officers rely on to do their jobs. This includes: . National information systems such as the Police National Computer, National DNA Database and IDENT1, the national fingerprint and palm print system; Home Office Minister Tony McNulty said: "The National Policing Improvement Agency will streamline police improvement by creating a single organisation to provide the best possible support to forces when delivering a national programme to take forward key developments vital to frontline policing, such as IT, staff training and improved best practice. Chief Constable Ken Jones, President of ACPO, said: "The responsibility for police service development has, for too long, been distributed across too many organisations whose role and accountability has not been clear. The creation of the NPIA, an ACPO initiative, changes all that. In time the agency will become a "one stop shop" - delivering the reform priorities of the service. A key strength of the new NPIA is its governance." APA Chairman Bob Jones said: "Police Authorities warmly welcome a new co-ordinated, police family owned agency that will be able to provide focused support to the innovation and improvement agenda that is a key priority for all police authorities & services."
. Specialist training for high-tech crime, forensics and major investigations;
. Clear and secure voice communication through the Airwave service;
. Round the clock specialist operational policing advice to guide forces through murder investigations, public order events, major incidents and searches;
. National development programmes to nurture the next generation of police officers at all levels from PC to the senior ranks.
"The Government is committed to providing a high quality police service and ensuring the record numbers of police working in the force are given the tools and support they need to protect the public and crack down on those who flout the law."
