Home Secretary Charles Clarke has told rank and file police officers they face too much red tape - and pledged to ease the burden.
In a speech to the Police Federation, he conceded that much of that bureaucracy originated in Whitehall.
Federation chairman Jan Berry said targets forced too many officers off the beat to deal with paperwork.
"Too many police officers are in offices trying to work out statistics," she told BBC News.
Consultation
The home secretary told the Police Federation conference in Blackpool: "I accept the arguments of those who say there is too much bureaucracy in the police service.
"It exists for a variety of reasons. Very little of it coming from the police officers in the Police Federation, a lot of it coming from the Home Office and management in different ways."
Ms Berry warned him that more consultation with her members was needed on the matter.
Mr Clarke said he also wanted a "genuine dialogue" with police officers and would not "ride roughshod over anybody" when it came to reforms.
He promised police constables would "remain at the heart of policing" but he insisted the police service must modernise.
Handcuff law change
"We have a major programme of change to meet the aspirations of the people in this country," he said.
When policing was good it was "very, very good" but when it went wrong it "could be awful", he said.
Conservative shadow home secretary David Davis urged Mr Clarke to turn his "conversion" on red tape into action.
"Charles Clarke has finally admitted that the Government is responsible for excessive police bureaucracy, but what he won't say is which of it, if any, he is going to cut," said Mr Davis.
Greater Manchester Police chief constable Mike Todd urged Mr Clarke to change the law on handcuffing suspects arguing in some situations officers could face assault charges.
He said the deaths of police officers Stephen Oake and Ian Broadhurst could have been prevented with clearer guidance.
"It's an assault on the individual," he said. "It's counted as an assault legally.
"And if they do use handcuffs, one of the problems that the officers have is the person then going to make a complaint, or are they going to try to sue them for that assault?"
Stun guns
Earlier, Pc Ian Hunt, a Greater Manchester Police officer with 25 years experience, told the conference officers in his division were unhappy about policing targets.
He said they been told to make four arrests per month for specified offences or face the prospect of disciplinary action.
They felt this alienated local people, who were likely to suspect they were only being arrested so police could meet their targets, he said.
The force says the targets are intended to drive down crime and that no officer has ever been disciplined for failing to meet them.
British FBI?
The conference will also hear a debate about officer safety, which is likely to focus on whether frontline police should carry Tasar stun guns.
A poll last week found 80% of officers would be in favour.
Meanwhile, the separate Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) conference in Birmingham will discuss the establishment of the Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca).
Dubbed the "British FBI", the organisation is expected to take over investigations into top-level crime from next April.
'We will cut police bureaucracy'
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Originally Posted by Louis VI the Fat
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