Mahmood: Policing's 43 forces is 'irrational'

POLICING in England and Wales is “a postcode lottery” and the 43-force structure is “irrational”, the Home Secretary has said.

- MARGARET DAVIS

> Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood was speaking at a policing summit yesterday

(Wiktor Szymanowicz/Getty Images)

Shabana Mahmood told a major policing conference in Westminster that critical functions like the air service and vetting have been loaded on to the 43 geographical forces, diverting their attention from neighbourhood policing.

A white paper is due to be published in the coming weeks outlining government plans for police reform, with forces facing a £1.2 billion budget shortfall.

Speaking at the National Police Chiefs' Council and Association of Police and Crime Commissioners summit, Ms Mahmood said: “The structure of our police forces is, if we are honest, irrational.