The British police service is currently going through the most significant transformative change since its creation during the reign of King George IV. Since the formation of a coalition government between the conservative and liberal democrat parties (a first since World War II), the need to cut back on state spending while bringing forward substantial reforms to many public institutions has dominated the policing agenda. This background of significantly reduced public spending and austerity measures is accompanied by a drive for small government, local accountability, and an increased role for citizens popularly characterized as “the big society” by the British Prime Minister David Cameron.

The changes also are framed by a decade of falling crime and increased public trust and satisfaction in the police. This is a record of which the U.K. police service should be proud. The service has embraced the challenges of reform and change, and I am glad to have been part of an excellent team of police leaders moving policing forward.