Police forces will fail to tackle organised crime and grooming gangs unless they undergo urgent changes and merge into bigger 'super' forces to cut red tape, chiefs have warned.
Met Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said replacing the 'bureaucratic, top-heavy spaghetti model' will result in more 'bobbies on the beat' and free up resources for the front-line.
He said failure to make widespread changes would lead to 'the inevitable decline of our ability to protect the public'.
Sir Mark and many other chief constables favour switching from the current system of 43 constabularies to a three-tier model of one National Police Service with up to ten regional forces supported by local neighbourhood teams.
But critics argue that 'bigger isn't always better'.
In a keynote speech in Manchester, Sir Mark said technological advances meant evolution was needed, adding: 'There comes a point when the world evolves beyond the ability of the systems built to service.
'British policing has reached that point once again, and there's a very real risk to the public if we don't urgently reform to meet that challenge.
'In short, and it hurts me to say this, policing will fail,' Sir Mark added.
Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley today pressed the case for major police reforms in an effort to cut red tape, keep pace with technology, and increase frontline officers
The Met chief, pictured, said successive governments had allowed investment in policing to fall 'behind what the public needs', but admitted there was unlikely to be any major cash from the Treasury for the reforms – estimated to cost around £2billion.
'Continued disinvestment in policing is dangerous. Reform is essential, but it cannot substitute for investment,' he said.
Sir Mark added that policing would also need to spend money differently, reducing duplication across the 43 constabularies
to free up more funding for neighbourhood policing.
He told the Daily Mail: 'It's about more bobbies on the beat, who then behind them have got better technology, so they do their job better. And then they've got better support from specialists to help them succeed against the most difficult criminals.
'If you were to say to the public: would you rather your money was spent on 43 police headquarters, 43 IT systems, and fewer officers on the beat, or just a few headquarters and more officers on the beat... I don't need a survey to know what the answer would be.'
Sir Mark said the most substantial threats to communities operated across regional, national and international borders.
He said these crimes will thrive while policing remains organised around 'local' structures designed for a different age.
Earlier this year, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced
a blueprint for reform, including a National Police Service which she said would save £350million to be put into frontline policing.
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