Overview
- Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced the National Police Service on Saturday and said full details will be set out on Monday, casting it as the largest policing reform in two centuries.
- The new body would sit above the National Crime Agency and regional specialist units, led by a national chief who becomes the country’s most senior police officer.
- Officials say the NPS will take on complex crime such as counterterrorism, fraud, online child abuse and organized crime to let local forces focus on everyday offenses.
- The Home Office is proposing further changes for England and Wales, including reducing 43 forces to 12 regional units, introducing officer licensing and expanding ministerial powers to act when chiefs fail.
- The plan includes wider use of technologies such as facial recognition credited with 1,700 arrests over two years, prompting privacy concerns and mixed reactions from policing groups.