Mahmood unveils plan to merge police forces and create a national crime body

Mar 20th 2026

Home secretary Shabana Mahmood is proposing force mergers, professional licences for officers and a single national body combining the NCA and counterterrorism units to tackle rising everyday and organised crime, while critics warn of risks to local accountability and officer morale.

  • Plan would cut 43 police forces in England and Wales to roughly a dozen, with the final number not yet fixed.