The UK government has unveiled an ambitious blueprint to overhaul what it describes as a “broken” policing system in England and Wales, marking what ministers say will be the most far-reaching reforms in nearly two centuries. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood told Parliament that the proposed changes would fundamentally reshape the structure, governance and use of technology within policing, including the creation of a new National Police Service (NPS) and a significant reduction in the number of local police forces.
Presenting a 106-page white paper in the House of Commons, Mahmood said the reforms were designed to ensure “the right policing in the right place”, particularly in the face of increasingly complex and cross-border threats. At the heart of the proposals is the establishment of the NPS, which would take on responsibility for tackling serious organised crime, terrorism and hostile state threats that transcend regional boundaries. The new body will bring together the National Crime Agency and Counter Terrorism Policing, while also absorbing certain functions currently handled by the National Police Chiefs’ Council, the National Police Air Service and the College of Policing.
The NPS, which Mahmood has previously likened to a British version of the FBI, is intended to free up local forces to focus more effectively on day-to-day crime and neighbourhood policing. It will be led by a National Police Commissioner who will be directly accountable to the home secretary. Officials indicated that while the service will take time to establish, the aim is for it to become fully operational during the next Parliament.
Alongside structural reform, the government plans to make extensive use of new technology. The Home Office will fund 40 additional Live Facial Recognition vans, following trials in South Wales and London, making the technology available nationwide. Mahmood described this as the largest rollout of facial recognition ever undertaken in England and Wales. There are also proposals to set up a National Centre for Artificial Intelligence in policing, which would develop tools to help officers analyse CCTV footage more efficiently and automate tasks such as transcribing and redacting documents.
Another controversial element of the proposals is the possible merger of existing police forces. England and Wales currently have 43 territorial forces, but the white paper suggests this number could be reduced by around two-thirds. The Home Office said the exact number and configuration of future forces will be determined following a review, which is due to report back to the home secretary in the summer. Ministers argue that mergers would reduce duplication, cut costs and address stark differences in performance between forces, while insisting that local policing would not be weakened.
The plans have drawn mixed reactions across the political and policing landscape. Labour’s Avon and Somerset Police and Crime Commissioner, Clare Moody, welcomed the review into force mergers but urged careful consideration of how changes would affect neighbourhood policing. The Conservative shadow home secretary, Chris Philp, criticised the proposals, saying they were notable for failing to address falling police numbers since Labour took office. He warned that large merged forces could become detached from the communities they serve and said the Conservatives would oppose mandatory mergers.
The white paper also confirms the abolition of elected Police and Crime Commissioners, a move first announced in November, and the return of the power to dismiss chief constables to the home secretary. In addition, the government plans to introduce a licence to practise for police officers, similar to professional licensing systems used in medicine.
Senior figures within policing have broadly welcomed the direction of travel. HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary Sir Andy Cooke described the reforms as ambitious but necessary, while National Police Chiefs’ Council chair Gavin Stephen said a national service would help consolidate resources and speed up decision-making, particularly around new technology. The director general of the National Crime Agency, Graeme Biggar, said the increasingly interconnected nature of terrorism, organised crime and hostile state activity made a national approach essential.
However, concerns remain. The Police Federation cautioned that simply reducing the number of forces would not automatically lead to better policing and expressed particular unease about the proposed licence to practise for officers. As debate continues, the government’s plans signal a profound shift in how policing is organised and delivered across England and Wales, with far-reaching implications for officers, communities and public accountability.
