Welsh Government raises concerns over UK policing reforms
The Welsh Government has said it will carefully assess the implications of wide-ranging UK policing reforms, warning that any changes must reflect Wales’s distinct legal, funding and operational landscape.
The response follows publication of a UK Government White Paper titled From local to national: a new model for policing, which sets out proposals billed as the biggest overhaul of policing in England and Wales in around 200 years.
Jane Hutt MS, Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Trefnydd and Chief Whip, said the proposals were significant and far-reaching, and would require detailed consideration in the Welsh context.
The White Paper outlines plans to significantly reduce the number of police forces through mergers, introduce Local Policing Areas for towns and cities, increase powers for the Home Secretary, and establish a new National Police Service.
Under the proposals, the National Police Service would bring together the National Crime Agency, counter-terrorism policing and regional organised crime functions, led by a National Police Commissioner as the most senior police officer in England and Wales.
The White Paper also proposes abolishing Police and Crime Commissioners from 2028, introducing national performance targets, expanding the use of artificial intelligence and increasing central oversight of policing standards, procurement and technology.
Jane Hutt said there may be advantages in centralising some operational functions, but stressed that safeguards would be needed for Wales.
“It is important that the mechanisms for achieving this ensure that funds raised in Wales are retained in Wales,” she said.
She added that any national targets or inspection regimes applying in Wales must be designed for the Welsh context from the outset, and that police funding must be safeguarded to keep communities safe and support victims.
The Cabinet Secretary also said decisions on reducing the number of police forces should not be rushed and must follow an independent review, with the Welsh Government fully engaging in that process.
She said Wales would argue that, given differences in laws and working practices, no single regional police force should operate across both sides of the England-Wales border.
The comments come amid wider debate about policing governance in Wales. Jane Hutt said the Welsh Government’s long-term goal remained the devolution of policing, as recommended by the Thomas Commission and the Independent Commission on the Constitutional Future of Wales.
Concerns about the impact of the reforms have also been raised locally. The Police and Crime Commissioner for North Wales, Andy Dunbobbin, warned that any restructuring must protect close operational links with neighbouring forces in England.
“In North Wales, day to day policing activity is closely linked to the North West of England through established patterns of serious and organised crime,” he said.
“Operational effectiveness relies on well embedded joint working with neighbouring English forces, regional organised crime units, and partner agencies.”
He said changes must avoid creating barriers that could undermine intelligence sharing, joint tasking or rapid operational response.
The UK Government says the reforms are intended to modernise policing, reduce duplication and improve performance, with greater national capability to tackle serious and organised crime alongside strengthened neighbourhood policing.
The White Paper also reopens debate over policing devolution. Plaid Cymru Westminster leader Liz Saville Roberts MP has argued the reforms present an opportunity to devolve policing to Wales, a position rejected by the Home Secretary.
In a joint statement, the four Welsh Police and Crime Commissioners said they supported modernisation but warned reforms must reflect how policing already operates in Wales.
They said policing in Wales is shaped by close partnerships with the Welsh Government, local authorities, health services and voluntary organisations, and that any new model must strengthen neighbourhood policing and local accountability.
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