Guidance

Independent review of police force structures: terms of reference

Terms of reference for the independent review of police force structures.

Applies to England and Scotland

Documents

Details

The government has published the terms of reference for Lord Hogan Howe’s independent review of police force structures. The review will make recommendations, informed through extensive engagement with policing and its stakeholders, on the optimum size and configuration of police forces across England and Wales.

Its findings will include how best to deliver the government’s ambition to move from the current 43 force model to fewer, larger forces by the end of the next Parliament, including identification of those forces best suited to deliver pathfinder mergers this Parliament.

The review will run for 5 months and aims to design a new model, which meet the needs of victims and supports effective, efficient, and accountable policing both at the local and national levels, for now and far into the future.

Updates to this page

Published 17 March 2026

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