Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will take steps to ensure that policing resources are not diverted from rural to metropolitan areas as a result of the merging of police forces as part of the Government's proposed policing reforms.

The Police Reform White Paper set out the Government’s commitment to introduce a new model for policing that is fit for the modern world, with the right policing in the right places.

Responsive local policing will be guaranteed through the creation of Local Policing Areas (LPAs), led by Local Policing Commanders, with a clear focus on the needs and priorities of the local communities they serve. We are also introducing a Local Policing Guarantee so the public knows they can expect the same level of service no matter where they live. The Independent Review of Police Force Structures, launched on 17 March 2026, will make recommendations on the number and configuration of police forces in England and Wales, including how the delivery of local policing can be optimised through LPAs. The Review will report its recommendations to the Home Secretary in the summer.

Community Safety Partnerships have played an important role in the local crime prevention landscape. As we review the future of local prevention work, we will seek to build on their strengths while creating a system that works more effectively as a whole. Partnership working at the local level remains central to our reforms and we are working across government to ensure policing and police governance bodies remain embedded within local systems.