Guidance

Independent review of police force structures: terms of reference

Published 17 March 2026

Applies to England and Wales

Purpose

Our policing system requires radical re-design. A system designed in the 1960s, based around 43 local police forces, is no longer fit for purpose. The Government published the Police Reform White Paper on 26 January 2026, which set out the case for change and the full package of reforms designed to modernise policing across England and Wales.

To begin to move towards a more efficient policing system, the White Paper committed to launching an independent review of police force structures, which would make recommendations on the optimum number of forces and the most effective implementation.

The aim of this review is to design a new model, built around fewer, larger police forces, 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.

Outputs

The Chair should report their recommendations to the Home Secretary by the end of the 5th month following the launch of the review. The recommendations should reflect the scope of the agreed Terms of Reference, and be supported by evidence, with consideration given to their implementation, including cost analysis wherever applicable (including but not limited to the total costs associated with precept equalisation across new forces).

The Chair must make an interim report (at the mid-point of the review) and meet with the Home Secretary to summarise the work undertaken and the initial findings in respect of the questions in scope.

Scope

The review will make recommendations on:

1. The most effective number of police forces across England and Wales and their configuration, to support the consistent and effective delivery of core policing responsibilities, in line with the direction set in the Police Reform White Paper.
2. How local policing can be optimised through Local Policing Areas (LPAs) in the new model, including which policing functions they are responsible for; alignment with or relationship to existing Local Authority boundaries; governance and oversight; community involvement (including the ability to set local policing priorities).
3. How new governance arrangements (Policing and Crime Boards) should operate within larger forces (including how local communities can shape Local Policing Areas’ priorities and hold them to account, and the role of local and strategic authorities in governance structures).
4. How a move to significantly fewer forces should be delivered to:
   • minimise operational disruption (specifically with respect to incident response and local investigations)
   • maintain best practice
   • ensure delivery costs can be minimised and offset through efficiencies in later years, with consideration given to the degree to which they can be managed through existing HO budgets

5. Which forces are best suited to form part of pathfinder mergers this Parliament, in advance of the full merger programme. This should give consideration to the local support from police forces and local policing body or Mayor. The scope of the Review is limited to the 43 territorial police forces in England and Wales. The review will not make recommendations about the role or functions of:

   • Specialist national agencies (e.g. the National Crime Agency, British Transport Police, Civil Nuclear Constabulary, MoD Police, Counter Terrorism Policing)
   • Police Scotland and PSNI
   • The National Police Service

However, working relationships and effective operation between these forces and the territorial forces should be considered and factored into recommendations. The review should also have due regard to the implications for Fire and Rescue Services and Local Resilience Fora as a result of any change to policing structures.

The review will not make recommendations on:

• The revised funding formula (notwithstanding the relevant considerations in ensuring that any recommendations for new force structures set foundations for strong financial resilience, viability, and coherence with revised funding arrangements).

• The design and build of the National Policing Service (NPS), and the policing functions that will be exercised as already agreed, which will be taken into account in the design of local policing and regional forces.

• Policing devolution arrangements (in respect of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland)

Design principles

The review shall be guided by the following design principles in making recommendations on future force structures:

1. Strengthening neighbourhood policing, to improve public confidence, to build trust and consent and to improve responsiveness to local priorities.

2. Strong accountability at the local and regional level, to ensure policing delivers against the priorities of the public.

3. Improvements in the effectiveness of policing (including specialist capabilities), or the efficient use of resources, in respect of the full range of policing delivered, whilst supporting the wellbeing of the police workforce.

4. Improving the victim experience through consistent and effective delivery of policing responsibility across all force areas; reducing disparities and improving consistency in service levels, based on proportionate force capacity for the needs of the area it serves.

5. Increasing alignment with local government boundaries (including existing and potential Mayoral and Foundation Strategic Authorities), and other public service boundaries, including those in health, wider criminal justice, blue light and public safety systems, to facilitate cross-sector crime prevention and early intervention strategies.

6. Interoperability with the entirety of the policing system and the bodies within (including the National Police Service, Counter Terrorism, and Serious and Organised Crime organisations, and the UK Intelligence Community), including after the implementation of the police reform agenda, whilst capitalising on existing regional Counter Terrorism / Serious and Organised Crime collaborations.

7. Greater consistency in systems, processes, data and technology across the force area to ensure that police can share relevant information to best manage the risk to the public.

8. Planning should be on the basis that costs of this merger programme in its entirety should not create an additional pressure on the cost of policing to central Government.

Leadership

The review will be conducted by an independent Chair with significant operational experience and knowledge, supported by an advisory panel.

The advisory panel will be comprised of those with significant experience across issues relevant to policing, including but not limited to local policing bodies, victims’ services, public sector reform, criminal justice, and operational policing.

Governance and methodology

The Independent Chair will be a direct appointment by the Home Secretary. A team of Home Office officials will support the Chair but work independently of the Department for the purposes of the review. The review will have a Senior Civil Servant sponsor within the Home Office, who will provide overall oversight and monitor progress.

The Review (Secretariat) must issue regular reports to the host departmental Unit which show progress against key milestones, spend and use of budget, and highlights any expected challenges towards completion.

In conducting the review, the Chair is expected to engage extensively with stakeholders including, but not limited to:

• a range of policing system leaders, including those who have delivered police force mergers outside of England and Wales

• police officers and staff

• trade unions and staff associations

• local authority leaders, Mayors and Deputy Mayors, including the City of London Corporation

• Fire and Rescue Services and Local Resilience Fora

• other Government Departments

• Welsh Government

• MPs and other locally elected officers

• the UK Intelligence Community, CT Policing partners, regulatory and oversight bodies

• key policing partners (APCC/NPCC), including from across the blue light and criminal justice system

• victims’ groups and community representatives

• leaders of wider public sector reform

• academics and those with international perspectives

Engagement will take place through meetings and workshops as well as written submissions from these parties through calls for evidence. The Chair is also expected to invite stakeholders with existing data or unpublished analysis to consider sharing these for the purposes of the review.

A Memorandum of Understanding will set out how information and data will be shared between the Chair, the Home Office and any other parties who provide evidence. A formal data sharing agreement will be signed between the Review and the Home Office, and will set out ownership of the data and the way in which information will be shared.