Wiltshire PCC warns mega-force plans risk sidelining local communities

Wiltshire Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Wilkinson has joined fellow Police and Crime Commissioners in warning that plans to replace local police forces with large regional "mega-forces" risk weakening policing, reducing accountability and ignoring views of local communities.

He has also challenged proposals to replace local police forces with large regional organisations, warning the biggest restructuring of policing in a generation is being driven by a small number of senior policing leaders rather than the public they serve.

This comes after comments made by Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley this morning called for major reform of policing structures. Mr Wilkinson said he agreed policing needed reform but warned creating larger police forces was not - in itself - a solution to the challenges policing faces today.

Mr Wilkinson said: “We should not assume that creating larger police forces will solve the problems policing faces today.

"Many of those challenges are about leadership, performance, workforce planning, culture, public confidence and accountability. Simply creating larger organisations does not automatically solve any of them."

Mr Wilkinson said one of his biggest concerns was that the debate was being driven from within policing rather than by the public.

"I have no doubt those advocating major force mergers want to improve policing but the fact remains this debate is currently being driven by a relatively small number of senior policing leaders rather than by the public," he said.

"Before we embark on the biggest restructuring of policing in a generation, we should be asking a simple question: is this what communities actually want, and what evidence do we have that it will improve outcomes?

“We should also be asking how much is this going to cost? Because one thing is for sure, it will not be saving money to put more officers on the street, it will lead to decades of disruption with public finances diverted into restructure and organisation – not fighting crime, not making people safer.”

Wiltshire is one of only a handful of force areas to have directly asked residents for their views on the proposals. More than 1,100 people took part in a survey with two-thirds saying Wiltshire Police should remain a standalone force and 94% saying it was important that neighbourhood policing continued to be shaped by local communities and local priorities.

Mr Wilkinson said: "Here in Wiltshire, we asked that question.

"The message from residents was clear. People want effective policing but they also want policing that remains local, accountable and connected to the communities it serves.”

The intervention comes after reports the Government is considering reducing England and Wales' 43 police forces to as few as nine larger regional organisations.

Mr Wilkinson said: "I have been clear that I support police reform where it improves capability, tackles serious, organised crime and delivers better value for taxpayers.

“But replacing local police forces with regional mega-forces is reform for reform's sake. Here in Wiltshire, we are proof that bigger is not always better and the force has been delivering more for less for quite some time.

Mr Wilkinson also said proposals for large regional forces also appeared to run contrary to the Government's wider devolution agenda.

He added: "At the same time Government is talking about devolving power away from Whitehall and strengthening local decision making, these proposals would move policing further away from the communities it serves.

"The closer policing is to the public, the stronger accountability becomes. The further away decisions are taken, the harder it is for local people to influence the policing they receive."

He also warned that large-scale force mergers would come with substantial financial and operational risks.

Mr Wilkinson said: "History shows that major public sector reorganisations are expensive, disruptive and take years to deliver.

"Before we spend vast sums restructuring policing, we need clear evidence that it would improve outcomes for the public. At the moment, I have seen no evidence that replacing Wiltshire Police with a regional force would make communities safer."

Mr Wilkinson said any future model of policing must preserve strong local identity, visible neighbourhood policing and local democratic accountability.

He added: "Reform should strengthen local policing, not weaken it. Whatever changes are considered nationally, the voice of local communities must remain at the heart of policing."

Responding to further to comments made by Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley, Mr Wilkinson said creating larger police forces would not, on its own, solve the wider challenges facing policing.

He said: "I have been a Police and Crime Commissioner for five years and I am clear that policing does need reform. But that reform must be driven by what is best for the public, not what is best for policing itself.

"There are many excellent police leaders across the country but reform should not be shaped solely by those within the current system. Government should also draw on expertise from outside policing and listen to the public and those who hold policing to account.

"My biggest concern is accountability. Some of the most significant failures in policing have only come to light because Police and Crime Commissioners have challenged chief officers and demanded answers on behalf of the public.

"The question is not whether policing needs reform. It does. The question is whether replacing trusted local police forces with large regional organisations will actually deliver that reform.

"Bigger does not automatically mean better, cheaper or more effective. Bigger will not put more police officers on our streets.

“Before Government embarks on the biggest restructuring of policing in a generation, it must provide clear evidence that it will improve performance, strengthen accountability and make communities safer."

Published 6 November 2026