- Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley is set to deliver a keynote speech in Manchester warning that British policing faces inevitable decline unless urgent, radical structural reforms are implemented.
- Sir Mark proposes consolidating the 43 individual police forces across England and Wales into eight to 10 regional forces, backed by local policing commands and a new National Police Service.
- He argues that the existing structures are outdated and struggle to tackle modern cross-border threats such as organised crime groups, cybercriminals, online child exploitation, and hostile states.
- The proposed overhaul aims to eliminate widespread administrative duplication, freeing up thousands of roles to reinvest directly into frontline policing and increase officer visibility.
- Highlighting a drop in police funding from 0.9 per cent of GDP in 2010 to 0.7 per cent today, Sir Mark will warn that overstretched forces are currently leaving too many victims waiting for justice.
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