List of police forces of the United Kingdom


This is a list of the 45 territorial police forces and 3 special police forces of the United Kingdom. It does not include non-police law enforcement agencies or bodies of constables not constituted as police forces.
For a list of all law enforcement agencies in the United Kingdom and its territories, see List of law enforcement agencies in the [United Kingdom, Crown Dependencies and British Overseas Territories].

Table

ForceArea servedNumber of police officersBudget Area size FormedCountry/RegionLegal jurisdictionType
Avon and Somerset PoliceUnitary authorities of Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol, North Somerset, Somerset and South Gloucestershire3,202£326.64,7771974South West EnglandEngland and WalesTerritorial police force
Bedfordshire PoliceUnitary authorities of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire, and Luton1,396£122.51966East of EnglandEngland and WalesTerritorial police force
British Transport PoliceNational Rail Network, London Underground, Docklands Light Railway, West Midlands Metro, London Trams, Tyne and Wear Metro, Glasgow Subway and London Cable car2,960£319.172001948 as BTCPOn railway land in England, Wales, and ScotlandSpecial police force
Cambridgeshire ConstabularyCounty of Cambridgeshire and unitary authority of Peterborough1,671£156.23,3891965East of EnglandEngland and WalesTerritorial police force
Cheshire ConstabularyUnitary authorities of Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester, Halton, and Warrington2,370£208.02,1551857North West EnglandEngland and WalesTerritorial police force
City of London PoliceCity of London970£67.02.61839Greater LondonEngland and WalesTerritorial police force
Civil Nuclear ConstabularyCivilian nuclear facilities: Dounreay, Torness, Hunterston, Hartlepool, Sellafield, Heysham, Sizewell, Culham, Harwell, Hinkley Point, Dungeness1,310£116.7-2005Civilian nuclear sites and surrounding lands up to 5 km distant, and any such places as required when escorting nuclear materials in transit or pursuing or detaining suspects in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern IrelandSpecial police force
Cleveland PoliceUnitary authorities of Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland, and Stockton-on-Tees1,443£143.55971974North East EnglandEngland and WalesTerritorial police force
Cumbria ConstabularyUnitary authorities of Cumberland and Westmorland and Furness1,288£117.86,7681974North West EnglandEngland and WalesTerritorial police force
Derbyshire ConstabularyCounty of Derbyshire and unitary authority of Derby2,038£193.92,6251967East MidlandsEngland and WalesTerritorial police force
Devon and Cornwall PoliceCounty of Devon and unitary authorities of Cornwall, the Isles of Scilly, Plymouth, and Torbay3,515£338.410,2701967South West EnglandEngland and WalesTerritorial police force
Dorset PoliceUnitary authorities of Dorset and Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole1,380£144.32,6531974South West EnglandEngland and WalesTerritorial police force
Durham ConstabularyUnitary authorities of County Durham and Darlington1,295£133.32,6761839North East EnglandEngland and WalesTerritorial police force
Dyfed-Powys PolicePrincipal areas of Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire, and Powys1,275£115.510,9761968WalesEngland and WalesTerritorial police force
Essex PoliceCounty of Essex and unitary authorities of Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock3,678£320.23,6701969East of EnglandEngland and WalesTerritorial police force
Gloucestershire ConstabularyCounty of Gloucestershire1,279£126.93,1501839South West EnglandEngland and WalesTerritorial police force
Greater Manchester PoliceMetropolitan county of Greater Manchester8,550£643.01,2761974North West EnglandEngland and WalesTerritorial police force
Gwent PolicePrincipal areas of Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly, Monmouthshire, Newport, and Torfaen1,491£142.21,5551967WalesEngland and WalesTerritorial police force
Hampshire and Isle of Wight ConstabularyCounty of Hampshire and unitary authorities of the Isle of Wight, Portsmouth, and Southampton3,302£366.44,1491967South East EnglandEngland and WalesTerritorial police force
Hertfordshire ConstabularyCounty of Hertfordshire2,261£221.31,6431841East of EnglandEngland and WalesTerritorial police force
Humberside PoliceUnitary authorities of East Riding of Yorkshire, Kingston upon Hull, North East Lincolnshire, and North Lincolnshire2,192£200.73,5171974Yorkshire and the HumberEngland and WalesTerritorial police force
Kent PoliceCounty of Kent and unitary authority of Medway4,064£338.43,7361857South East EnglandEngland and WalesTerritorial police force
Lancashire ConstabularyCounty of Lancashire and unitary authorities of Blackburn with Darwen and Blackpool3,369£308.83,0751839North West EnglandEngland and WalesTerritorial police force
Leicestershire PoliceCounty of Leicestershire and unitary authorities of Leicester and Rutland2,335£204.02,5381967East MidlandsEngland and WalesTerritorial police force
Lincolnshire PoliceCounty of Lincolnshire1,182£131.65,9211856East MidlandsEngland and WalesTerritorial police force
Merseyside PoliceMetropolitan county of Merseyside4,093£359.76451974North West EnglandEngland and WalesTerritorial police force
Metropolitan Police ServiceMetropolitan Police District 35,052£2,939.91,5781829Greater LondonEngland and Wales Territorial police force
Ministry of Defence PoliceCritical Defence Sites, Designated Critical National Infrastructure, MOD Headquarters Whitehall, Trident, Atomic Weapons Establishment, GCHQ2,594£156.6-1971Military buildings, property, and employees, in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern IrelandSpecial police force
Norfolk ConstabularyCounty of Norfolk1,921£177.25,3711839East of EnglandEngland and WalesTerritorial police force
North Wales PolicePrincipal areas of Anglesey, Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Gwynedd, and Wrexham1,652£167.16,1721974WalesEngland and WalesTerritorial police force
Northamptonshire PoliceUnitary authorities of North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire1,458£146.22,3641966East MidlandsEngland and WalesTerritorial police force
Northumbria PoliceMetropolitan county of Tyne and Wear and unitary authority of Northumberland3,658£307.15,5531974North East EnglandEngland and WalesTerritorial police force
North Yorkshire PoliceUnitary authorities of North Yorkshire and the City of York1,669£166.28,3101974Yorkshire and the HumberEngland and WalesTerritorial police force
Nottinghamshire PoliceCounty of Nottinghamshire and unitary authority of Nottingham2,401£224.82,1601968East MidlandsEngland and WalesTerritorial police force
Police Service of Northern IrelandNorthern Ireland6,772£1,077.413,8432001Northern IrelandNorthern IrelandTerritorial police force
Police Service of ScotlandScotland16,570£1,064.878,7722013ScotlandScotlandTerritorial police force
South Wales PolicePrincipal areas of Bridgend, Cardiff, Merthyr Tydfil, Neath Port Talbot, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Swansea, and the Vale of Glamorgan3,397£315.82,0741969WalesEngland and WalesTerritorial police force
South Yorkshire PoliceMetropolitan county of South Yorkshire3,022£282.11,5521974Yorkshire and the HumberEngland and WalesTerritorial police force
Staffordshire PoliceCounty of Staffordshire and unitary authority of Stoke-on-Trent1,913£211.12,7131968West MidlandsEngland and WalesTerritorial police force
Suffolk ConstabularyCounty of Suffolk1,387£135.13,8011967East of EnglandEngland and WalesTerritorial police force
Surrey PoliceCounty of Surrey2,153£249.41,6631851South East EnglandEngland and WalesTerritorial police force
Sussex PoliceNon-metropolitan counties of East Sussex and West Sussex and unitary authority of Brighton and Hove3,051£309.93,7831968South East EnglandEngland and WalesTerritorial police force
Thames Valley PoliceNon-metropolitan counties of Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire and unitary authorities of Bracknell Forest, Milton Keynes, Reading, Slough, Wokingham, West Berkshire, and Windsor and Maidenhead4,772£456.75,7421968South East EnglandEngland and WalesTerritorial police force
Warwickshire PoliceCounty of Warwickshire1,029£109.91,9751840West MidlandsEngland and WalesTerritorial police force
West Mercia PoliceCounty of Worcestershire and unitary authorities of Herefordshire, Shropshire, and Telford and Wrekin2,358£236.57,4081967West MidlandsEngland and WalesTerritorial police force
West Midlands PoliceMetropolitan county of the West Midlands7,715£620.49021974West MidlandsEngland and WalesTerritorial police force
West Yorkshire PoliceMetropolitan county of West Yorkshire5,930£485.02,0291974Yorkshire and the HumberEngland and WalesTerritorial police force
Wiltshire PoliceUnitary authorities of Swindon and Wiltshire1,138£127.73,4851839South West EnglandEngland and WalesTerritorial police force
Total—174,415£15,832————

List of special police forces