Image source, Getty ImagesByNick EardleyPolitical correspondentPublished22 January 2026 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, external 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.
Published: January 22, 2026 5:54 pm
Source: BBC — Read original