Adopting a status similar to that of foundation hospitals would allow forces to decide their own priorities locally and focus their efforts on frontline policing rather than paperwork, said Ken Jones, the president of the Association of Chief Police Officers of England, Wales and Northern Ireland (Acpo).

Mr Jones said senior officers had "100% confidence" that the change would result in better performance and more efficient use of police resources.

The status would relieve foundation forces of the heavy bureaucratic burden of meeting targets set by regulatory bodies and Government, he said. But forces would still have to follow national procedures on counter-terrorism and organised crime, to prevent a "free-for-all".

It is understood that three or four forces, including Durham, have expressed an interest in taking on foundation status, and the BBC reported that the idea was being considered for inclusion in the Home Office's upcoming Green Paper on police reform.

Mr Jones said it was time to consider "taking a few more risks" with the organisation of policing.

He told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: "It would mean a lot of money being freed up for frontline policing. It would mean a lot of people whose jobs are now currently engaged in gathering data on behalf of regulatory bodies and Government actually being put at the service of local people.

Mr Jones said foundation status should give forces more freedom to decide local priorities in consultation with the people they serve, but insisted national standards should be maintained on issues with a wider relevance.

Home Office minister Tony McNulty told the BBC in a statement: "We're determined to cut red tape and ensure police officers are best placed to make decisions about local policing. That's why we've already transformed how we measure them - slashing the number of central targets and freeing them to respond to local priorities.

"Chief Constables already determine how they spend their resources and we are also working on a pilot project with four forces about further measures to cut bureaucracy."