Welsh Police Chiefs to Face Westminster Committee on Reform

Government White Paper proposes regional police mergers

The UK Government published a White Paper in January declaring that the current structure of 43 local police forces in England and Wales is "no longer fit for purpose". This document proposes merging these forces into between nine and 18 larger regional units.

The government's plan also includes the abolition of the role of Police and Crime Commissioners.

Welsh Police and Crime Commissioners oppose abolition

All four Welsh Police and Crime Commissioners testified in July to oppose the government's plans to remove their positions.

Committee hearing to address facial recognition and devolution

The committee is responsible for examining UK Government policies that affect Wales and holding public bodies and ministers to account. The session will be broadcast on Parliamentlive.tv.

The committee may question the progress toward the UK Government’s goal of halving knife crime and violence against women and girls by 2034.

North Wales Chief Constable criticizes internal reform advocacy

She argued that this group was advocating for larger forces without consulting the wider membership.

In her letter, Amanda Blakeman wrote: “The impression being created is that there is a chiefs’ council within a chiefs’ council, a smaller group driving a particular position while the wider membership is informed after the fact.”.

Regarding the argument that policing is fundamentally broken, Amanda Blakeman wrote in her letter that this was “not a characterisation that I recognise”.

Microsoft outage disrupts UK police reporting systems

A global Microsoft outage on 13 November 2026 disrupted online crime reporting and email systems for multiple UK police forces.

Microsoft executive vice president Charles Lamanna said there was no indication the outage resulted from malicious or cyber activity. Microsoft attributed the issue to an elevated load on its servers and noted that recovery efforts initially struggled before showing positive results.

Dyfed-Powys Police advised the public to call 101 or message their Facebook account for non-urgent reports because the outage impacted their website and email contact center. Cumbria Police stated their 101 email service experienced technical difficulties and advised the public to call 101 for non-emergencies and 999 for emergencies. Dorset Police reported they were unable to receive online form submissions and requested that the public call 101 for time-critical non-emergency reports or 999 in an emergency. South Wales Police also reported technical issues with receiving website forms and advised the public to call 101 for non-emergencies and 999 for emergencies.

Northumbria PCC launches refreshed Police and Crime Plan

Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner Susan Dungworth launched a refreshed Police and Crime Plan on 13 November 2026. The updated plan followed a summer consultation process known as the Community Catch up Consultation, which involved feedback from residents, community groups, and partners.

National context on funding and crime reduction targets

The UK Government has set an objective to reduce knife crime and violence against women and girls by 50% by 2034. Bedfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner John Tizard stated that the force is one of the lowest-funded in the country while managing complex and challenging crimes.