Met Chief Mark Rowley to Urge Cut From 43 Police Forces to As Few As Eight

Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley will warn in a speech in Manchester that policing in England and Wales needs urgent reform or risks inevitable decline, LBC reports. The article was written before the speech, so its claims are what he is expected to say. The speech is due in Manchester.

His proposals include cutting the 43 forces to as few as eight, supported by hundreds of local policing commands and a new National Police Service. He argues this would remove duplication that exists 43 times over and free thousands of roles for frontline services, comparing it with the NHS. It is a major proposal.

He also cites a fall in police funding from around 0.9 percent of GDP to around 0.7 percent since 2010. Rowley is expected to say inaction means reduced officer visibility, stretched services and long waits for justice, while criminals and hostile states adapt faster than policing structures. The reform would be a major change.