FAQs on Police Reform
FAQs on police reform
What are the police force merger proposals?
As part of the Government’s police reform agenda, proposals have been put forward that could see the existing structure of 43 police forces reduce to a smaller number – some indications are that 12 or 13 forces would be created.
Why are mergers being proposed now?
Recent white papers and reform proposals from the Government argue that policing structures need updating to reflect modern crime, which increasingly involves serious organised crime, online harm and cross-border offending. Smaller forces are described as struggling with the scale and complexity of modern investigations. The Government has therefore said that merged structures could strengthen specialist capabilities.
Will Dorset Police be affected?
The White Paper says that the total number of forces will be ‘significantly reduced’. Confirmation on what it means for individual forces will depend on the review.
Is this something that has been looked at previously?
Yes, similar proposals were put forward as far back as 2006. In 2013, eight regional forces were merged to create Police Scotland.
Why weren’t similar proposals implemented 20 years ago?
There were a number of factors that led to the proposals not going ahead in 2006:
- The Government wouldn't fund them and restricted council tax rises needed for implementation
- Local police authorities (in place prior to PCCs), politicians, and Chief Constables strongly opposed them on accountability and practicality grounds
- Poor consultation and unrealistic timelines
How long has the existing structure been in place?
The 43-force model has remained largely unchanged for more than 60 years.
What are the potential benefits of merging forces?
- Cost efficiency – merging forces may reduce duplication across 43 separate back-office departments. Some have said that this could free up resources for front line policing.
- Stronger specialist capabilities – larger merged forces may have more capability to handle complex crimes such as cyber-crime and serious organised crime without pulling resources away from local policing.
- Better coordination and consistency – nationally aligned structures could make it easier for different areas to share technology, intelligence, and standards.
What are the potential concerns or risks associated with merging forces?
- Loss of connection with communities – there is a concern that merging forces could weaken community connections or reduce local responsiveness. People are also concerned that resources will be absorbed into the larger urban areas, leaving rural areas feeling more remote.
- Unnecessary costs – while long-term savings are expected, merging large organisations can often involve high upfront costs.
- Risk of centralisation – some fear that very large regional or national forces may become more centralised, potentially removing decision making from local needs.
How would the mergers work with council tax payments?
Police forces in England and Wales are currently partly funded through a police precept in council tax, set by the PCC and billed separately by each local authority area within the force area.
With the abolition of PCCs in 2028, the Government has said that the setting of the police budget and police precept will transfer to regional mayors (in areas that have a mayor) and newly-formed police and crime boards (in areas without a mayor or areas where mayoral boundaries are not co-terminus with police force boundaries).
However, with the proposals to merge police forces, this creates levels of complexity with the Government not yet providing information on how this would work.
One of the reasons why the proposals weren't implemented in 2006 was because of council tax equalisation across a wider area.
When will decisions be made?
The White Paper (January 2026) confirms an intention to “significantly reduce” the number of forces, the specific merger map and timelines are still under review. The Hogan Howe report is due to be published at the end of August 2026 and further information is expected throughout 2026.
What will happen with the responses we receive?
These proposals were announced in January as part of a much wider Government police reform agenda; however, they weren’t included in the Labour manifesto at the last General Election. The PCC is keen to ensure legitimacy remains at the heart of policing by ensuring that a change of this scale is informed by communities.
The PCC will gather the responses and present the information to the Government to form part of their wider review. Any updates will be shared on this website.
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