The government is set to significantly reduce the number of police forces in England and Wales from the current 43 in what sources have described as the biggest reform of policing in decades.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is expected to announce the plans next week, with proposals to create larger forces designed to concentrate on serious and organised crime, while establishing new Local Policing Areas intended to bolster neighbourhood policing.
Government sources have indicated the changes would not be implemented quickly, saying the reorganisation would be delivered by the end of the next parliament, around 2034. Ministers are not expected to confirm next week exactly how many forces would remain under the new framework, with an independent review to be launched to determine the precise model.
In a policy proposal, Mahmood is expected to argue that the existing structure is overly bureaucratic and wastes money, with all 43 forces operating their own headquarters, management teams and backroom functions. Ministers also believe performance varies too widely between areas and that smaller forces are less equipped to handle serious crime and major incidents.
Mahmood is expected to tell police leaders that larger forces should concentrate on tackling serious and organised crime and complex investigations, including murder and drugs. Police chiefs have previously called for the creation of around 12 “mega forces”, arguing that mergers could save money and strengthen crime-fighting capacity.
Alongside the move towards larger forces, ministers plan to announce new Local Policing Areas, designed to ensure local policing remains visible and accessible. Under the proposals, these local areas would be set up in every borough, town or city in England, with officers tasked with working closely with communities and targeting what the government describes as “local crime”, such as shoplifting, phone theft and drug dealing.
Government insiders say ministers believe there is an “epidemic of every day offences” going unpunished, and that criminals have come to think they can “cause havoc on our streets with impunity” because victims can wait hours or days for police to investigate lower-level offences. A government source said: “Where you live will no longer determine the outcomes you get from your force.”
Ministers are expected to present the reforms as part of a broader modernising agenda led by Mahmood, who has previously signalled her intention to overhaul the current policing structure. Allies of the home secretary argue that successive governments have talked about force mergers for years but have failed to deliver.
Similar proposals have been debated for decades. Around 20 years ago, then Home Secretary Charles Clarke suggested cutting the number of forces to 12, though the plan was not carried through. Scotland merged its regional forces in 2013, creating Police Scotland.
The plans are likely to trigger a political fight, with opponents warning of centralisation and potential reductions in local policing in smaller communities.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said: “Keir Starmer’s forced police reorganisation will undermine efforts to fight crime across England and Wales, inevitably leading to centralised control and reduced policing in towns and villages across the country.”
Senior police leaders have indicated support for reform in principle, arguing that crime patterns and technology have changed and that policing structures need to follow.
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.”
The Police Federation, which represents officers from the rank of constable to chief inspector, welcomed neither the principle nor the potential savings claims without guarantees on investment, warning that structural change alone would not deliver better policing.
A spokesperson 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.”
While the government’s proposals focus on England and Wales, the reforms come amid wider changes to policing governance already announced. Ministers have previously said police and crime commissioners will be scrapped in England and Wales, with that change planned for the end of current terms in 2028.
For now, the immediate next step is expected to be the launch of an independent review to advise on how many forces should replace the current 43, how boundaries should be drawn, and how national and local responsibilities should be divided. Government sources have cautioned that, even after next week’s announcement, the process of designing, legislating for and implementing the changes will take years.