General · 30 July 2026
Police chiefs support merging England and Wales's 43 forces to fight crime
The current structure was created during the 1960s, but senior commanders argue it wastes cash on duplicate headquarters and IT departments. Shabana Mahmood, the home secretary, suggested the mergers in January as constabularies try to manage roughly half a billion pounds in budget reductions. But representatives for frontline officers warn that simply redrawing boundaries won't automatically improve the service without fresh investment.
Reported by Sky News · How we write briefs