The Home Office in January 2026, sets out plans for the most significant overhaul of policing in England and Wales in nearly two centuries. It argues that the current structure — built around 43 separate forces — is no longer fit for modern crime, particularly in the face of organised, cross-border and digital threats. The government proposes creating a new National Police Service to take responsibility for serious and complex crime, drawing together capabilities from bodies such as the National Crime Agency and specialist units, while reshaping local forces into larger regional organisations.

Alongside structural reform, the paper proposes changes to governance, accountability and professional standards. Police and Crime Commissioners would be abolished and replaced with mayoral or local authority-led oversight, while a new national performance framework would aim to enforce consistent standards across the country. The overall intention is to combine stronger national coordination on serious crime with clearer local delivery, greater efficiency and a more professionalised workforce — though the scale of centralisation is likely to prompt debate about local accountability and operational independence.

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