Met boss warns Britain risks having fewer bobbies on the beat and soaring crime rates unless red tape cut in biggest shake-up of forces in half a century

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley is expected to call for the biggest police reform in 50 years, warning that without change Britain could see fewer neighbourhood officers and rising crime. He argues that forces organised around older boundaries are struggling to respond to threats that operate across local, national and international borders.

Rowley proposes replacing England and Wales’s 43 forces with ten regional constabularies, hundreds of local policing commands and a National Police Service for the most serious and complex crimes. He says reducing bureaucracy could free thousands of roles for frontline work, while larger regional forces could sustain specialist teams. The call comes amid concerns about outdated technology, pressure on neighbourhood policing and a government reform plan that estimates a National Police Service could save £350 million.