Shabana Mahmood to slash number of police forces in major overhaul
Police forces in England and Wales to undergo largest shake-up in decades
- Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is preparing to unveil a major overhaul of police forces in England and Wales, described as the largest shake-up in decades.
- The reforms propose significantly reducing the current 43 police forces, with larger remaining forces focusing on serious and organised crime.
- Each town, city, and borough will be designated a 'local policing area' where neighbourhood officers will address community issues like shoplifting and anti-social behaviour.
- The government aims to generate savings by merging back-office functions and address performance inconsistencies across forces, ensuring all have resources for serious crime.
- The changes are expected to take until the mid-2030s to complete, and the Conservative shadow home secretary has criticised the plan, arguing that 'big is not necessarily better'.