How Policing is Structured

England and Wales is policed by 43 territorial Home Office forces. The two largest are the Metropolitan Police Service (around a third of officers nationally) and Greater Manchester Police. The smallest is the City of London Police. Each is headed by a Chief Constable, or in the case of the Met and City a Commissioner, with direction and control of the force. No minister, PCC, or other body can direct a Chief Constable on a specific investigation or deployment, that operational independence is a constitutional feature of policing by consent.

Territorial forces in England and Wales

43

FTE officers nationally as of 31 March 2025

146,442

Officer-to-public ratio on average

1:408

Of officers with fewer than 5 years' service (March 2024)

35%

Each force is governed by a PCC, or in London by the Mayor through the Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, and in Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire and other combined authority areas by the elected mayor. The Home Secretary sits above the PCC. The Police Reform White Paper (January 2026), titled From Local to National: A New Model for Policing, proposes giving the Home Secretary new powers to intervene in failing forces and set national performance standards for the first time. Forces are funded roughly 70% from central grant and 30% from council tax. The police allocation formula has been unchanged since 2013.

• Police Constable, foundational rank; PIP level 1 for volume crime investigation
• Sergeant, first-line supervisor
• Inspector, typically a shift or local policing team commander; custody inspectors authorise detention extensions
• Chief Inspector, larger operational unit or specialist function
• Superintendent, commands a district or major department; powers to extend pre-charge detention beyond 24 hours
• Chief Superintendent, large operational area or specialist command
• Assistant Chief Constable / Deputy Chief Constable / Chief Constable, chief officer team; complaints go to the PCC

Not all officers investigate crime. The HMICFRS March 2025 investigating-crime thematic found that many frontline officers did not see themselves as investigators and that failure of investigative mindset at first contact was one of the most significant failings. The Professionalising Investigations Programme (PIP) sets four levels of investigative training. PIP 1 is the baseline for all officers, covering volume crime including stalking and harassment at initial response. PIP 2 is detective-level, covering sexual offences, complex stalking and fraud. PIP 3 and 4 cover major and serious crime. HMICFRS found serious and complex crimes routinely being allocated to PIP 1 officers without the skills to investigate them.

The vetting framework is set out in the College of Policing's Vetting APP and the Police (Vetting) Regulations 2025, in force from 14 May 2025. For the first time forces now have a statutory power to dismiss officers who fail to maintain vetting clearance. Before these regulations there was no direct dismissal route for vetting failure alone, a gap exposed when the High Court found the Met's attempt to dismiss officer Di Maria for vetting failure was unlawful. Regulation 13 provides the power to suspend an officer where the vetting authority has grounds to believe clearance may need to be withdrawn. Suspension is not dismissal; the officer remains a constable while a withdrawal assessment is carried out.

The National Police Chiefs' Council brings together chief constables of all UK forces and equivalents. Established in 2015 to replace ACPO. Funded by member-force contributions under a Section 22A collaboration agreement. The current chair is Gavin Stephens (Chief Constable, Surrey). It coordinates 13 committees including domestic abuse, VAWG, digital data and technology, and counter-terrorism.

There are nine Regional Organised Crime Units: Eastern, EMSOU (East Midlands), London (Met), North East, TITAN (North West), SEROCU (South East), South West, TARIAN (Wales), West Midlands. Funded partly by the Home Office and partly by constituent forces. Inspected by HMICFRS and found to vary significantly in effectiveness.

The professional body for policing in England and Wales. Established in 2012. Produces Authorised Professional Practice (APP), develops training curricula, maintains the Code of Ethics. Forces are expected to follow APP unless they can justify a departure. The College licenses forces to provide their own training in line with national curricula but does not directly train all officers.

BTP is not a Home Office force. It is a national specialist force with full constabulary powers, policing the rail network across England, Scotland and Wales, funded by the rail industry through a Police Services Agreement. The most recent HMICFRS inspection (2024) graded vetting and counter-corruption inadequate. See the dedicated British Transport Police page for full detail.

The Police Reform White Paper (26 January 2026) proposes the most significant structural changes since the 1960s, a new National Centre of Policing centralising back-office functions (IT, forensics, aviation, procurement), new Home Secretary powers, strengthened HMICFRS powers, and abolition of PCCs in 2028 in favour of Policing and Crime Boards.