POLICE response officers will be expected to respond to emergency calls faster in England and Wales under new reforms.

Targets look to respond to emergencies within 15 minutes in urban areas, and 20 minutes in rural areas, with details to be outlined at a later date.

Under the new reforms, forces will also be expected to answer 999 phone calls within 10 seconds. These new targets will ensure that all forces provide the same level of police response to crimes.

John Hayward-Cripps, Chief Executive of Neighbourhood Watch, said: "It's a very basic expectation that police will respond when you report a crime, and quickly when it is serious. When that doesn't happen, it's not just frustrating, it is very stressful and it damages trust. The data shows that there is real variation in how well different forces respond to incidents. Police effectiveness, and the trust we place in the police, is built on the relationships that they have and maintain with the public.

“Therefore, the government introducing national standards and, crucially, the resource required to meet them is a welcome step forward. But restoring confidence won't happen overnight, the police need to take the time to engage meaningfully with their communities too, which most of them are doing."

Where forces fail to deliver, the Home Secretary will send in experts from the best performing forces to improve their performance, including when unmet response‑time targets are part of broader systemic failing.

To fight everyday crime, the government will ramp up its pledge to restore visible neighbourhood policing and patrols in communities through an extension of its Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee.

Under the extension, every council ward in England and Wales will have its own named, contactable officers, creating more local points of contact and giving officers a deeper understanding of the issues in their area.

Residents will be able to speak to officers directly to raise individual concerns of crimes and anti-social behaviour, and will be guaranteed a response to neighbourhood queries within 72 hours.

A new training programme known as the Neighbourhood Policing Pathway, has been set up to ensure that neighbourhood officers have the tools required to gather intelligence and catch offenders. The programme has already been piloted in 11 forces and is currently being expanded across the country.

A new white paper titled ‘From local to national: a new model for policing’, outlines a blueprint for reform, so local forces protect their community, and national policing protects us all. Alongside these reforms, police forces in England and Wales will receive the largest investment in British history to keep communities safe.

The government said it is investing a record £18.4 billion to restore neighbourhood policing, cut crime and catch criminals. This is an increase of over £3 billion and an 11 per cent real terms increase compared to 2023/24.

You can read more about the plans via the government website.