| Number of police forces in England and Wales to be cut in major shake-up Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 01:32, 24th January 2026 |     |
This is another subject which doesn't really sit easily within any of the definitions of intended content in our existing boards - but I'm not going to create yet another board, so I'll post this here:
From the BBC:
Number of police forces to be cut in major shake-up
[Image from here is not available to guests]
The government is to radically reduce the number of police forces in England and Wales as part of what sources have called the largest reform of policing in decades.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood will announce plans for police reform next week. She will pledge to "significantly" cut the number of forces from its current level of 43, and tell them to focus on serious and organised crime. Police chiefs have been calling for the creation of 12 "mega forces" to save money and boost crime-fighting efforts.
It could be years before changes are implemented, with government sources saying only that it will happen by the end of the next parliament, around 2034.
Mahmood will argue in a policy proposal that the current model of 43 forces is bureaucratic and wastes money, with each force running their own headquarters, management teams and backroom staff.
Ministers also believe the performance of local forces varies too widely across England. They believe smaller forces are less well equipped to deal with serious crime and respond to major incidents.
Mahmood is expected to say new, larger forces should focus on tackling serious and organised crime, as well as complex cases like murder and drugs. Ministers will also announce plans for new Local Policing Areas, with local officers focusing on neighbourhood policing.
It is proposed these will be set up in every borough, town or city across in England, and will be tasked with working with communities and fighting what the government calls "local crime", such as shoplifting, phone theft and drug dealing.
Government insiders acknowledge there is an "epidemic of every day offences" going unpunished, and say they believe criminals think they can "cause havoc on our streets with impunity" because people are forced to wait hours or days for police to investigate crimes. A government source said: "Where you live will no longer determine the outcomes you get from your force."
Ministers will not say next week exactly how many forces will exist under the new framework. Instead, an independent review will be announced to looking at precise details. Similar cuts have been proposed as long as 20 years ago, when then Home Secretary Charles Clarke suggested cutting the number of forces to 12.
Scotland also merged its forces in 2013 to create Police Scotland.
The home secretary's allies will sell these reforms as part of her "modernising agenda". A source said: "For decades, people have called for forces to be merged. Mahmood is a politician who is not scared of bold reform and a political fight."
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said: "Keir Starmer's forced police reorganisation will undermine efforts to flight crime across England and Wales, inevitably leading to centralised control and reduced policing in towns and villages across the country."
Some police chiefs have called for a revamp of policing in England and have backed reducing the number of forces.
Chief Constable Gavin Stephens, chair of the National Police Chiefs' Council, said: "Crime is changing, technology is evolving, and we need to be set up in the best possible way to tackle crime in the modern world, relentlessly focused on good quality neighbourhood policing alongside national threats. I know the home secretary shares this ambition. We look forward to seeing the government's white paper and working with them to ensure policing delivers outstanding results and rebuilds confidence with the communities we serve."
A spokesman for the Policing Federation, which represents officers from the rank of constable to chief inspector, said: "Fewer forces doesn't guarantee more or better policing for communities. Skills, capabilities and equipment need significant investment if the public and officers are going to see reform deliver in the real world. Any proposals must be driven by evidence and best practice, not lowest cost, and must strengthen rather than weaken frontline, investigative and specialist capability, neighbourhood policing and public confidence."
[Image from here is not available to guests]
The government is to radically reduce the number of police forces in England and Wales as part of what sources have called the largest reform of policing in decades.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood will announce plans for police reform next week. She will pledge to "significantly" cut the number of forces from its current level of 43, and tell them to focus on serious and organised crime. Police chiefs have been calling for the creation of 12 "mega forces" to save money and boost crime-fighting efforts.
It could be years before changes are implemented, with government sources saying only that it will happen by the end of the next parliament, around 2034.
Mahmood will argue in a policy proposal that the current model of 43 forces is bureaucratic and wastes money, with each force running their own headquarters, management teams and backroom staff.
Ministers also believe the performance of local forces varies too widely across England. They believe smaller forces are less well equipped to deal with serious crime and respond to major incidents.
Mahmood is expected to say new, larger forces should focus on tackling serious and organised crime, as well as complex cases like murder and drugs. Ministers will also announce plans for new Local Policing Areas, with local officers focusing on neighbourhood policing.
It is proposed these will be set up in every borough, town or city across in England, and will be tasked with working with communities and fighting what the government calls "local crime", such as shoplifting, phone theft and drug dealing.
Government insiders acknowledge there is an "epidemic of every day offences" going unpunished, and say they believe criminals think they can "cause havoc on our streets with impunity" because people are forced to wait hours or days for police to investigate crimes. A government source said: "Where you live will no longer determine the outcomes you get from your force."
Ministers will not say next week exactly how many forces will exist under the new framework. Instead, an independent review will be announced to looking at precise details. Similar cuts have been proposed as long as 20 years ago, when then Home Secretary Charles Clarke suggested cutting the number of forces to 12.
Scotland also merged its forces in 2013 to create Police Scotland.
The home secretary's allies will sell these reforms as part of her "modernising agenda". A source said: "For decades, people have called for forces to be merged. Mahmood is a politician who is not scared of bold reform and a political fight."
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said: "Keir Starmer's forced police reorganisation will undermine efforts to flight crime across England and Wales, inevitably leading to centralised control and reduced policing in towns and villages across the country."
Some police chiefs have called for a revamp of policing in England and have backed reducing the number of forces.
Chief Constable Gavin Stephens, chair of the National Police Chiefs' Council, said: "Crime is changing, technology is evolving, and we need to be set up in the best possible way to tackle crime in the modern world, relentlessly focused on good quality neighbourhood policing alongside national threats. I know the home secretary shares this ambition. We look forward to seeing the government's white paper and working with them to ensure policing delivers outstanding results and rebuilds confidence with the communities we serve."
A spokesman for the Policing Federation, which represents officers from the rank of constable to chief inspector, said: "Fewer forces doesn't guarantee more or better policing for communities. Skills, capabilities and equipment need significant investment if the public and officers are going to see reform deliver in the real world. Any proposals must be driven by evidence and best practice, not lowest cost, and must strengthen rather than weaken frontline, investigative and specialist capability, neighbourhood policing and public confidence."
Declaration of interest
I was a police officer, in uniform, with Avon & Somerset Constabulary, 1980 to 1995. At that time, and now, I support the reduction of the present 43 police force areas to fewer, in the interests of improved efficiency.
| Re: Number of police forces in England and Wales to be cut in major shake-up Posted by CyclingSid at 05:31, 24th January 2026 | |
What will happen with the small "specialist" forces such as BTP? Combined with MoD Police, Atomic Energy Police etc??
| Re: Number of police forces in England and Wales to be cut in major shake-up Posted by Electric train at 07:22, 24th January 2026 | |
What will happen with the small "specialist" forces such as BTP? Combined with MoD Police, Atomic Energy Police etc??
Nothing, I suspect.
These a specialist Police Constabularies which are funded differently to the "civilian" Constabularies.
BTP is funded by the National rail system (NR, ToC FoC etc), TfL (London Underground, Docklands Light Railway, , Croydon Tramlink), Tyne and Wear Metro, Glasgow Subway, the Midland Metro tram system and IFS cloud cable car; there is funding from the Home Office via the DfT.
| Re: Number of police forces in England and Wales to be cut in major shake-up Posted by Bob_Blakey at 08:48, 24th January 2026 | |
Instead of a wholesale reorganisation how about we get our political 'leaders' (=Home Office, best of luck with that) to instruct the police forces to do their job properly?
The antics of the College of Policing regarding Non-Crime Hate Incidents (NCHI's) prove that at least part of the overall service has 'gone native' and needs to be reined in.
Any UK body which is funded from the public purse should understand that they are required to do as they are bloody well told and that authority can only come from our elected representatives.
| Re: Number of police forces in England and Wales to be cut in major shake-up Posted by grahame at 09:35, 24th January 2026 | |
Police forces and areas date back, don't they, to a far less mobile age? Yet at the same time so much activity is seen to be very local. There is already, I have observed, a mechanism in place to loan police officers across force boundaries in the event of a signifiant need in another force area. I've heard enough to wonder and know the questions and comment that perhaps policing needs to catch up with a more joined up structure, but I don't know enough to suggest how that might best be done.
| Re: Number of police forces in England and Wales to be cut in major shake-up Posted by ellendune at 09:37, 24th January 2026 | |
As one of the smallest (if not the smallest) forces in the UK I suspect that Wiltshire will be one of those forced to merge.
I am assuming since the fire service was merged with Dorset, that that will be the likely outcome. Given the proximity of Salisbury to the Dorset border I suppose this makes sense.
However, our health services cooperate to the west where there is also a large centre of population on the border so that would also make sense.
Remembering the proposals for a Wiltshire, Somerset and Dorset combined authority I wonder if a much larger force covering Wilts Dorset and Avon and Somerset will be the outcome.
| Re: Number of police forces in England and Wales to be cut in major shake-up Posted by TaplowGreen at 10:26, 24th January 2026 | |
As one of the smallest (if not the smallest) forces in the UK I suspect that Wiltshire will be one of those forced to merge.
I am assuming since the fire service was merged with Dorset, that that will be the likely outcome. Given the proximity of Salisbury to the Dorset border I suppose this makes sense.
However, our health services cooperate to the west where there is also a large centre of population on the border so that would also make sense.
Remembering the proposals for a Wiltshire, Somerset and Dorset combined authority I wonder if a much larger force covering Wilts Dorset and Avon and Somerset will be the outcome.
I am assuming since the fire service was merged with Dorset, that that will be the likely outcome. Given the proximity of Salisbury to the Dorset border I suppose this makes sense.
However, our health services cooperate to the west where there is also a large centre of population on the border so that would also make sense.
Remembering the proposals for a Wiltshire, Somerset and Dorset combined authority I wonder if a much larger force covering Wilts Dorset and Avon and Somerset will be the outcome.
City of London is the smallest - would imagine that may merge with the Met?
| Re: Number of police forces in England and Wales to be cut in major shake-up Posted by eightonedee at 11:59, 24th January 2026 | |
From the local press, it is clear that the Thames Valley and Hampshire forces now share a lot of resources, so a merger of these seems likely.
There is anecdotal evidence from the merger of ambulance services that while costs might be saved, the loss of more detailed local knowledge can cause problems, for example in getting help speedily to a specific address. The control structure and training of front line staff will be important.
As to Bob's point about "non-crime hate incidents", I suspect this might be driven by Home Office directed guidance and policy, backed up by unconscious bias training and similar innovations of recent decades. We have to remember that Police work goes well beyond detecting crime, to generally trying to ensure safety and public order, right down to such difficult jobs like dealing with informing relatives of accidental deaths and attending suicides and serious accidents.
I do though agree that the non-crime hate business went too far, particularly as it gives the impression that some hate is permitted, and other hate is not. We should just be grateful that we don't have trigger-happy armed state organisations roaming our streets - here's looking at you (again) Donald Trump.
| Re: Number of police forces in England and Wales to be cut in major shake-up Posted by Electric train at 12:12, 24th January 2026 | |
As one of the smallest (if not the smallest) forces in the UK I suspect that Wiltshire will be one of those forced to merge.
I am assuming since the fire service was merged with Dorset, that that will be the likely outcome. Given the proximity of Salisbury to the Dorset border I suppose this makes sense.
However, our health services cooperate to the west where there is also a large centre of population on the border so that would also make sense.
Remembering the proposals for a Wiltshire, Somerset and Dorset combined authority I wonder if a much larger force covering Wilts Dorset and Avon and Somerset will be the outcome.
I am assuming since the fire service was merged with Dorset, that that will be the likely outcome. Given the proximity of Salisbury to the Dorset border I suppose this makes sense.
However, our health services cooperate to the west where there is also a large centre of population on the border so that would also make sense.
Remembering the proposals for a Wiltshire, Somerset and Dorset combined authority I wonder if a much larger force covering Wilts Dorset and Avon and Somerset will be the outcome.
City of London is the smallest - would imagine that may merge with the Met?
Not sure about that, City of London Police is funded mostly by the Corporation of London ie the City.
I can see TVP being merged with Hampshire, possibly Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire as well; TVP is already the largest non-metropolitan Police force in England
| Re: Number of police forces in England and Wales to be cut in major shake-up Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 16:04, 24th January 2026 | |
From the Office for National Statistics (and with my thanks to them for providing this online):
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My personal opinion is that there is a case for merging Devon & Cornwall, Avon & Somerset and Dorset into a new 'West of England' police force area. I would base it at Portishead, where there is an extensive modern, purpose-built, police headquarters - including a state-of-the-art firearms training facility in an old quarry. Easy access to the rest of the west of England, with the motorway just down the road.
Ignoring the indignant squeals from two of the current Chief Constables in those present force areas, what's not to like? [Image from here is not available to guests]
| Re: Number of police forces in England and Wales to be cut in major shake-up Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 16:58, 24th January 2026 | |
I would also understand the case for Surrey, Sussex and Kent Constabularies to be merged. They all cover the south-east of England, with similar issues of immigrants (legal or illegal), drug smuggling, customs and many other interactions with Europe.
There you go: I've just saved the country another two Chief Constables' salaries and accumulating pension entitlements. [Image from here is not available to guests]
| Re: Number of police forces in England and Wales to be cut in major shake-up Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 17:39, 24th January 2026 | |
South Wales And Gwent?
No, maybe not that one. [Image from here is not available to guests]
