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Met chief Rowley proposes cutting England and Wales' 43 police forces to 8-10

Rowley will warn policing faces failure without reform, as an unpublished government review reportedly backs nine super forces.

Published Nov 6, 2026 · 03:34 UTC2 reports

The short version

Met chief Sir Mark Rowley will warn that policing in England and Wales faces failure without urgent reform.[BBC News]
Rowley proposes eight to 10 regional forces, local policing commands and a National Police Service in place of the 43-force structure.[BBC News]
A government-ordered review led by Bernard Hogan-Howe reportedly recommends cutting England's 39 forces to as few as nine, but it remains unpublished.[The Guardian]
Some rural commissioners call the plans political manoeuvring, while the APCC says the case for nine regional mega-forces is unclear.[BBC News]

Rowley is proposing eight to 10 regional police forces, supported by local policing commands and a new National Police Service.[BBC News]
An official government review led by Bernard Hogan-Howe reportedly recommends cutting England's 39 forces to as few as nine super forces.[The Guardian]
The Hogan-Howe review was completed in September and sent to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood. It has not been published.[The Guardian]
Some rural police and crime commissioners have described the plans as political manoeuvring by larger forces.[BBC News]
The Association of Police and Crime Commissioners said the case for reducing 43 forces to nine regional mega-forces is not clear.[BBC News]

The review's recommendations are reported by multiple sources, but the review itself has not been published, so its contents cannot be independently checked.[The Guardian]
Some rural commissioners and the APCC question whether mergers are the right approach, so the proposals remain disputed.[BBC News]

Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.