In a major overhaul of the UK’s policing landscape, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has unveiled plans to create a new national police force, the National Police Service (NPS), which has been likened to a “British FBI”. This centralised body will take over responsibility for counter-terrorism, fraud, and organised crime investigations, deploying “world-class talent and state-of-the-art technology” to apprehend dangerous criminals.
The NPS will consolidate the work of existing agencies such as the National Crime Agency and regional organised crime units under a single organisation. It will also purchase new capabilities, including facial recognition systems, on behalf of all police forces in England and Wales. Mahmood stated that the current policing structure is “stuck in a different century” and that the reforms are necessary to ensure the public receive the same level of security, “no matter where they live”.
Graeme Biggar, director general of the National Crime Agency, welcomed the changes, acknowledging that “the overall policing system is out of date. Crime has changed, technology has changed, and how we respond needs to change.” He emphasised that the threats facing communities require a coordinated national and international response.
Alongside the creation of the NPS, the government also announced plans to drastically reduce the number of police forces in England and Wales from 43 to just 12 “mega” forces. This move has drawn mixed reactions from senior figures in the policing community, with the Police Federation warning that “fewer forces doesn’t guarantee more or better policing for communities”.
The Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC) has also cautioned that the creation of regional forces could be expensive, time-consuming, and risk separating the police from the communities they serve. Additionally, the government has revealed plans to scrap police and crime commissioners in 2028, a move aimed at saving at least £100 million and funding neighbourhood policing.
These sweeping reforms to the UK’s policing landscape come as the government seeks to address the perceived “irrational” structure of the current system and equip law enforcement with the tools and resources needed to tackle the evolving nature of crime in the 21st century.
