# Review proposes merging England’s 39 police forces into regional bodies

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/cut-number-of-police-forces-in-england-to-as-few-as-nine-review-recommends/
- Published: 2026-11-05T13:09:45+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-05T13:34:58+00:00
- Original publisher: The Guardian (publisher lean: Left)
- Original article: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/nov/05/cut-number-of-police-forces-england-hogan-howe-review
- Topics: Government, Politics, UK, World

## Key points

- Review proposes cutting England’s 39 forces to between nine and 18.
- Local units would continue most neighbourhood policing.
- Police leaders are divided over the scale and timing of reform.

## Summary

A government-commissioned review by former Metropolitan Police commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe recommends reducing England’s 39 police forces to between nine and 18 larger regional bodies. The proposal is intended to make policing more efficient and responsive as crime changes, and to address concerns that the current system is slow and provides uneven services for victims.

The review was completed in September and sent to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood; the government says it will be published before Christmas, with a white paper due in the new year. Regional forces could take on major investigations and shared administrative work, while more than 150 local units would handle most neighbourhood policing. A proposed National Police Service would oversee counter-terrorism and serious organised crime, but police leaders disagree over the scale and pace of reform, including how new forces would align with mayors.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.