Head of Scotland Yard: Police in England and Wales 'heading for failure' without reform

Sir Mark Rowley will propose in a Friday speech the largest police restructuring since the 1960s: replacing 43 forces with three tiers, including a National Police Service. The proposal follows a consultation by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmud but has already met objections from rural commissioners and the APCC.

Aziz KarimovFirst published on tafs uz 6 November 2026 at 06:262 min read

The key facts

Sir Mark Rowley proposes 8–10 regional forces, hundreds of local teams, and a new National Police Service
The reform follows a consultation launched in January by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmud
APCC and rural commissioners doubt the merger of forces; Prime Minister Andy Burnham has not yet commented

Proposal for the largest reform since the 1960s

In a speech on Friday, Sir Mark Rowley, head of London's Metropolitan Police, will state that without urgent reform, the police in England and Wales are 'heading for failure', as the current system cannot cope with the complexity of modern criminals. This is reported by BBC News. He proposes replacing the structure of 43 forces with three tiers: local teams addressing neighbourhood issues; 8–10 regional forces pooling specialised resources; and a new National Police Service to tackle the most serious crimes. This would be the largest police restructuring since the 1960s.

Arguments and financial context

According to Rowley, organised crime groups, fraud networks, cybercriminals and those involved in online child abuse increasingly operate across regional and international borders, while the police remain organised on a local basis. 'We have 43 overstretched forces trying to do too much with too few resources,' his words are quoted. Merging forces, he believes, will reduce duplication and allow thousands of posts to be freed up for frontline work. He also points to financial pressure: police spending, he claims, has fallen from around 0.9% of GDP to 0.7% since 2010; years of underinvestment have left forces with outdated technology, and officers are increasingly diverted from neighbourhood work to mental health and social care issues. Positive outcomes nationwide, according to his data, have dropped to less than half the level of 12 years ago, while public trust has declined by 9%.

Reaction and political background

Rowley's proposal follows a consultation launched in January by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmud, which included plans to create a National Police Service and potentially merge the 43 forces into larger entities. However, some rural police commissioners have called the plans 'political manoeuvring' by large forces seeking to 'rig the game in their favour'. The Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC) stated: 'The need for modernisation and a National Police Service is clear. The need to reduce the 43 forces to nine regional 'mega-forces' is not.' The Home Office defends the plans: 'Our current police model has not changed since the 1960s and no longer serves its purpose.' Prime Minister Andy Burnham has not yet commented. BBC also notes that previously Rowley warned about the colossal burden on the judicial system and acknowledged mistakes in the Simon Levy case, while defending the murder investigations.