Cut number of police forces in England to as few as nine, review recommends

Review by ex-Met chief, expected to be published within weeks, calls for reduction from 39 forces to between nine and 18

The number of police forces in England should be cut from 39 to as few as nine super forces, an official review ordered by the government has concluded.

The review, carried out by the former Met police commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe, is yet to be published. Doubts are growing among some chief constables about the radical plans contained in Lord Hogan-Howe’s review.

Multiple sources say that under consideration is the establishment of nine regional forces, plus a single force for Wales, which would sit above more than 150 local policing units that would deliver most neighbourhood crime-fighting activities.

The axing of most of the 43 forces in England and Wales is seen as essential by the Hogan-Howe review and some police chiefs. Those chiefs, including the current Met commissioner, Mark Rowley, are concerned that the government may delay the most radical change to policing in seven decades.

Hogan-Howe’s review was completed in September and sent to the home secretary, Shabana Mahmood. Government sources will only say it will be published before Christmas, with a white paper due in the new year.

The delay is understood to be because of Andy Burnham’s devolution agenda and desire to “rewire” the British state and reform local government, including adding more mayors.

Some of the new forces will be covered by and accountable to mayors, while others will have mayors covering only some or even none of their area.

One police source said: “There are some concerns Andy Burnham may want to align the new police structures with mayors, which could mean 20 or more forces. That is not a radical enough change.”

Rowley will speak at an event in Manchester on Friday where he and other chiefs including Greater Manchester’s chief constable, Sir Stephen Watson, will press for a reduction in the number of forces.

The event’s title is “The cost of standing still is that criminals will win”, and some other chief constables have told the Guardian they are annoyed by the Met-organised event and are sceptical or do not support the big reduction down to nine forces.

Cutting the number of forces in England and Wales is the centrepiece of Mahmood’s radical changes to policing. Hogan-Howe’s report, multiple sources say, gives a range of how many larger forces there should be in the new policing landscape, ranging from nine to 18.

Hogan-Howe believes the changes would free up policing to rapidly innovate as new crime types and threats emerge. The 43 forces model, overseen by 43 police and crime commissioners, is accused of being too slow and delivering a postcode lottery of varying service for crime victims.

None of the forces are likely to be bigger than the Met, which serves 9 million people in London.

Hogan-Howe came out publicly in favour of a reduction to nine forces 12 years ago.