Policy paper

Strategic Policing Requirement 2023

The SPR sets out the Home Secretary's view of what the current national threats are, and the national policing capabilities needed to counter those threats.

This was published under the 2022 to 2024 Sunak Conservative government

Documents

Strategic Policing Requirement

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Details

The Strategic Policing Requirement (SPR) was first issued in July 2012, in accordance with section 77 of the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011. The previous Strategic Policing Requirement was last updated in 2015.

Police and crime commissioners and chief constables must consider the SPR when carrying out their functions.

National threats

The 2023 version introduces violence against women and girls as an additional national threat, and reaffirms the validity of the existing threats.

The national threats set out in the SPR are:

  • violence against women and girls
  • terrorism
  • serious and organised crime
  • a national cyber incident
  • child sexual abuse
  • public disorder
  • civil emergencies

The inclusion of violence against women and girls as a national threat sets clear expectations for:

  • local and regional police capabilities to tackle violence against women and girls
  • how local forces work with others, including collaborating with other agencies

Other updates

Other changes include:

  • a more detailed description of how threats should be tackled by police forces
  • strengthened governance and assurance arrangements, including a requirement for more distinct references to SPR in police and crime plans
  • an enhanced serious and organised crime section, to ensure prominence for crime types such as fraud and organised immigration crime

Updates to this page

Published 20 February 2023
Last updated 23 June 2023 + show all updates
  1. Accessible English version added.

  2. Added Welsh translation.

  3. First published.

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