Met chief to argue for restructuring England and Wales police forces

Sir Mark Rowley is expected to call for a major overhaul of policing, arguing that the current system cannot keep pace with complex crime. His proposal would replace 43 forces with eight to ten regional forces, supported by local commands and a national service.

• Rowley is expected to argue that 43 separate forces are not equipped to address threats including organised crime, online fraud, cyber offending and child exploitation.· 1 source
• His proposed structure would have eight to ten regional forces, hundreds of local policing commands and a National Police Service for serious organised crime and counter-terrorism.· 1 source
• The reform proposals were developed through a government-commissioned review led by former Met commissioner Lord Hogan-Howe; the review has not yet been published.· 1 source
• Rowley has also said the Met has lost around 4,000 staff and is hundreds of millions of pounds short of the funding it needs for London policing.· 1 source
• The Mayor of London said the Met had received an additional £373 million from central government over three years, but that this was not enough to replace earlier funding losses.· 1 source