Seeking public views

Hertfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner seeking public’s views on radical shake-up of policing

Hertfordshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Jonathan Ash-Edwards, is asking for the views of local residents and businesses regarding proposals to merge police forces across England and Wales.

In January, the Government confirmed its intention to significantly reduce the number of police forces, which could see the existing 43 forces combined into as few as 12 larger, regional forces, as part of a wider package of reforms to the police. An independent review is being carried out to advise the Government on how to take the force merger plans forward. 

However, the review is not asking for the views of members of the public meaning it is unclear how much support for these changes exist. As the PCC is committed to providing a voice to the people of Hertfordshire, he has launched a four-week consultation to give residents and businesses the opportunity to have their say.

The PCC is keen to hear from residents, businesses and community groups, regardless of their views on the proposals.

The consultation will run from 29th May to 10th July. Responses will be shared with the independent review and the Government to inform their decision-making. This is your chance to have your say locally. 

Click here to complete the consultation which will  take approximately 10 minutes to complete.

Jonathan Ash-Edwards, Police and Crime Commissioner, said:

“The Government’s proposals constitute the biggest shake-up of policing in more than sixty years but there is no public mandate for regional police forces. Our country prides itself on policing by consent, so it’s only right that the public are properly consulted on changes on this scale. 

“The independent review is explicitly not consulting the public, so I want to hear the views of Hertfordshire’s communities so I can share the findings with the independent review.

“While there are plenty of sensible reforms needed in policing, replacing county forces with fewer, regional forces could see resources pulled away from towns and rural areas and instead focussed on cities, especially if Hertfordshire’s police force is merged with areas with much higher or more serious crime.  That’s the opposite of what the people of Hertfordshire consistently tell me is their top priority – more police on their local streets who understand the local community.

“Hertfordshire is making great progress in tackling crime and responding to public priorities, while also collaborating with its neighbours to save money. Our county is increasingly in the top quarter of police forces nationally for responding to emergency calls, solving crime and using key safeguarding powers. Operation Hotspot’s additional visible patrols cut crime in our town centres by 14% in just one year. And unlike most of the rest of the country, shoplifting is falling in Hertfordshire by dealing with prolific offenders and supporting retailers capture evidence. It is essential that police reform doesn’t put the progress being made in Hertfordshire at risk”.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What are the proposals around merging police forces?

As part of a wider package of police reform, the Government has proposed merging police forces across England and Wales. This could result in the existing 43 police forces being reduced to as few as 12.

Why are the mergers being proposed?

The Government believes that the current policing structure of 43 separate forces is not best suited to deal with modern crime which is increasingly complex, involving serious organised crime and technology-based crime, requiring cross-border collaboration.

Currently, forces range significantly in the number of police officers and crime levels meaning the Government believes that people across England and Wales aren’t receiving a consistent police service.

What is the independent review of police force structures?

The Government has established an independent review to make recommendations on the optimum number of police forces and which forces should be merged. The review is being chaired by Lord Bernard Hogan-Howe, former Commissioner of the Met Police and supported by an advisory committee.

The Chair and advisory committee are not engaging with members of the public as part of the review.

The review will deliver their final report to Government by the end of the summer 2026.

Will Hertfordshire’s police force be merged?

The Government has said it plans to “significantly reduce” the number of police forces and it is highly likely that the majority of forces across England and Wales will be impacted.

No information indicating which police forces will be joined together has been published by the Government so far. The independent review will provide advice on which forces should be combined. Hertfordshire Constabulary could be merged with one or several force areas in the East of England.

Hertfordshire already partners with other force areas in a significant capacity which could also impact the Government’s decision-making process. These partnerships are:

·         BCH (Beds, Cambs, Herts) – Hertfordshire is part of a strategic alliance with Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire meaning the three counties share specialist operational functions (armed policing, roads policing, forensics and major crime investigations) and support functions (criminal justice, road collision investigations, DBS checks, firearms licensing, HR, payroll and ICT).

·         Seven Force Strategic Collaboration Programme – Hertfordshire is part of a shared initiative with Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex and Kent (Eastern Region) to join up procurement to target better use of resources and cost efficiencies.

What are the potential benefits of merging police forces in England and Wales?

The Government has said that replacing existing forces with fewer, larger forces could:

·         Deliver a more consistent, fairer police service to people across England and Wales;

·         Cut costs by reducing the number of separate headquarters and back-office functions that each police force requires;

·         Strengthen specialist policing capabilities (such as cybercrime and firearms) without diverting individual forces’ resources away from local policing;

·         Better equip larger forces to respond to major incidents.

What are the potential risks of merging police forces in England and Wales?

Some people have expressed concerns that merging police forces could:

·         Weaken the connection between police and the communities they serve;

·         Divert resources away from towns and rural areas towards cities and large urban areas;

·         Lengthen police response times with forces’ head offices based further away and serving larging areas;

·         Increase costs with taxpayers’ money funding expensive merger operations rather than frontline policing;

·         Disrupt vital community services including for victims and vulnerable people;

·         Lead to a loss of local accountability for the police.

How will day-to-day policing in Hertfordshire be affected?

The Government hasn’t confirmed which police forces will be merged meaning we don’t yet know how Hertfordshire’s police force will be affected. We also don’t yet know how regional forces focusing on major crime will interact with local neighbourhood policing. 

Hertfordshire could be merged with areas with higher crime rates or higher incidences of certain crime types which influences how the larger force allocates resources. The abolition of Police and Crime Commissioners means that the public may not have any direct ability to influence these decisions.

Have police force mergers been proposed before?

Yes, similar proposals were put forward in 2006. At that time, Chief Constables, local police authorities (prior to the role of PCCs being created) and politicians strongly opposed them on the grounds that the changes would be both difficult to implement and weaken accountability.

The 2006 proposals also required Council Tax to rise and be equalised across large areas which the Government at the time ultimately chose not to approve.

When would the proposed changes take affect?

While the Government has confirmed their intention to “significantly reduce” the number of police forces in England and Wales by the end of the next parliament, it is not known exactly when the changes will take effect.

What will the PCC do with responses to the consultation?

The PCC will present the feedback he receives to the Government as part of his wider engagement to ensure the police reform proposals reflect the interests of Hertfordshire residents.

Updates on the progress of the review and the and the PCC’s work to engage with the Government on this issue will be shared on this website.

Where can I find more information about the proposals?

The information above has been collected by the PCC’s office from various sources, including the Government’s white paper. Further information can be found on the following websites:

·         Government’s white paper ‘From local to national: a new model for policing’ explaining the wider package of policing reforms - here 

·         Independent review of police force structures: terms of reference - here

·         The PCC, Jonathan Ash-Edwards’ response to the Government’s white paper - here

·         The National Police Chiefs’ Council’s response to the Government’s white paper - here

·         The Chair of the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners’ response to the Government’s white paper – here