Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood was under mounting pressure last night to reduce England and Wales’s 43 police forces to just 15, the Mail can reveal.
The move – which would be the biggest shake–up of policing in half a century – was backed by two of Britain’s most senior police officers.
Sir Mark Rowley, Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, and Gavin Stephens, Chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council – said policing structures in England and Wales had been crying out for an overhaul.
Writing for the Mail, the two chiefs argued for a reduction of police forces south of the border to anything between ’10 to 15′, amid fears the current 43 operating in England and Wales are regularly duplicating work.
They wrote: ‘We run 43 forces, overlaid with regional collaborations and a thicket of national units and bodies creating inefficiency.
‘We need around 10 to 15 fully capable forces, large enough to sustain vital specialist functions like murder investigations, firearms operations and serious and organised crime work.’
The two chiefs added: ‘Rationalising support services and specialist functions would eliminate duplication, release capacity equivalent to thousands of officers and staff, and provide a platform for exploiting modern technology.’
Forty–three police forces in England and Wales are set to be merged into just 15 in the biggest shake–up of policing in half a century, The Mail can reveal (file image)
On Saturday night, two of Britain’s most senior police officers – Sir Mark Rowley (pictured), Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, and Gavin Stephens, Chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council – backed the plans
Sir Mark and Mr Stephens, a Chief Constable who has been an officer for over 30 years, said organised crime, terrorism and systemic problems such as violence against women and online fraud could be better policed if capabilities across the country were shared.
They said: ‘These threats affect us all locally, but they can’t be tackled locally. We need a strong national and international response.’
The move would mirror a reform made in Scotland more than a decade ago which saw the creation of a single ‘Police Scotland’ made up of eight former forces.
There are also claims that integrating forces would produce a more joined-up approach to tackling crime though critics fear it would weaken local policing.
The renewed pressure for the reform comes ahead of the Government’s expected Policing Reform White Paper, expected to be published by the end of this month.
But despite signs last year that Ms Mahmood was considering the radical plan, Home Office sources signalled last night that the change would not be included in the forthcoming White Paper.
The current 43 police forces in England and Wales were created under the Police Act 1964.
The current 43 police forces in England and Wales were created under the Police Act 1964 (file image)
Scotland’s eight police forces were merged in April 2013 to create Police Scotland.
Police insiders have insisted any changes would not result in job losses for rank–and–file officers however it is understood the proposals will recommend greater use of artificial intelligence as a way to reduce number of hours officers spend behind desks.
AI is already used by some forces in cameras which use live facial recognition technology, however its roll–out is hampered because all 43 forces are having to test the software individually.
‘Now, where it works with one force, it will be rolled out to all instead of all trying them individually,’ a source said.
