Home Secretary claims that policing is 'postcode lottery

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

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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 neighbour-hood 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.