List of law enforcement agencies in the United Kingdom, Crown dependencies and British Overseas Territories
There are a number of agencies that participate in law enforcement in the United Kingdom which can be grouped into three general types:
- Territorial police forces, who carry out the majority of policing. These are police forces that cover a police area and have an independent police authority. Current police forces have their grounding in the Police Act 1996, a combination of Police Act 1967 and Police and Fire Reform Act 2012 and the Police Act 2000, which prescribe a number of issues such as appointment of a chief constable, jurisdiction and responsibilities.
- National law enforcement bodies, including the National Crime Agency and national police forces that have a specific, non-regional jurisdiction, such as the British Transport Police. The Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 refers to these as 'special police forces', not including the NCA which is not a police force. In addition, there are non-police law enforcement agencies, whose officers are not police officers, but still enforce laws, and other bodies with solely investigatory powers.
- Miscellaneous police forces, mostly having their foundations in older legislation or common law. These are responsible for policing specific local areas or activities, such as ports and parks. Before the passing of recent legislation such as the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005, they were often referred to as 'special police forces'; care must therefore be taken in interpreting historical use of that phrase. These constabularies are not within the scope of the legislation applicable to the previously-mentioned organisations but can still be the subject of statutes applicable to, for example, docks, harbours or railways. Until the passing of Railways and Transport Safety Act 2003, the British Transport Police was such a force.
Over the centuries there has been a wide variation in the number of police forces in the United Kingdom, with a large number now no longer in existence.
Territorial police forces
England and Wales
Except in Greater London, each territorial police force covers one or more of the local government areas established in the 1974 local government reorganisations, in an area known in statute as a police area. These forces provide the majority of policing services to the public of England and Wales. These forces have been known historically as "Home Office police forces" due to the central government department, the Home Office, being responsible for and providing the majority of funding these police forces. Despite the implication of the term, all police forces are independent, with operational control resting solely with the chief officer of each force ; each force was overseen by a Police authority until these were replaced by Police and Crime Commissioners in 2012.The Police Act 1996 is the most recent piece of legislation, which outlines the areas of responsibility for the 43 territorial forces of England and Wales.
Constable is the lowest rank in the police service, but all officers, whatever their rank are "constables" in terms of legal powers and jurisdiction. Police officers in territorial police forces in England and Wales derive their jurisdiction from Section 30 of the Police Act 1996. This section outlines that such officers have jurisdiction throughout England and Wales and also the adjacent United Kingdom waters. Special Constables, who are part-time, volunteer officers of these forces, used to have a more limited jurisdiction – limited solely to their own force areas and adjacent forces. Since 1 April 2007, however Special Constables of England & Wales have full police powers throughout those two countries. This means that, in contrast to the majority of countries, all UK volunteer police officers now have exactly the same powers as their full-time colleagues. There are a number of situations in which the jurisdiction of a constable extends to one of the other countries, and constables of one jurisdiction do have reciprocal powers of arrest in each other's jurisdictions as a matter of course – see the main article for details.
As of March 2010 police numbers in England and Wales were:
- Police officers: 143,734
- Police community support officers: 16,918
- Other staff: 79,596
- Avon and Somerset Constabulary
- Bedfordshire Police
- Cambridgeshire Constabulary
- Cheshire Constabulary
- City of London Police
- Cleveland Police
- Cumbria Constabulary
- Derbyshire Constabulary
- Devon and Cornwall Police
- Dorset Police
- Durham Constabulary
- Essex Police
- Gloucestershire Constabulary
- Greater Manchester Police
- Hampshire Constabulary
- Hertfordshire Constabulary
- Humberside Police
- Kent Police
- Lancashire Constabulary
- Leicestershire Police
- Lincolnshire Police
- Merseyside Police
- Metropolitan Police Service
- Norfolk Constabulary
- Northamptonshire Police
- Northumbria Police
- North Yorkshire Police
- Nottinghamshire Police
- South Yorkshire Police
- Staffordshire Police
- Suffolk Constabulary
- Surrey Police
- Sussex Police
- Thames Valley Police
- Warwickshire Police
- West Mercia Police
- West Midlands Police
- West Yorkshire Police
- Wiltshire Police
- Police officers: 136,365
- Police community support officers: 16,200
- Other staff: 75,408
- Dyfed-Powys Police
- Gwent Police
- North Wales Police
- South Wales Police
- Police officers: 7,369
- Police community support officers: 718
- Other staff: 4,188
- South East Counter Terrorism Unit
- Thames Valley & Hampshire Joint Operations Unit
- Surrey Police & Sussex Police Tactical Firearms, Operations Command and Roads Policing Unit
- South West Counter Terrorism Unit
- Dorset Police and Devon & Cornwall Police Strategic Alliance Unit
- Alliance Police: Gloucestershire Constabulary, Avon & Somerset Police and Wiltshire Police.
- East Counter Terrorism Intelligence Unit
- Norfolk & Suffolk Roads Policing Unit
- Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire & Hertfordshire Road Policing Unit
- Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire & Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit
- East Midlands Counter Terrorism Intelligence Unit
- West Midlands Police Counter Terrorism Unit
- Warwickshire Police and West Mercia Police Specialist Operations Unit
- North West Counter Terrorism Unit
- Cheshire Police & North Wales Police Alliance Armed Policing Unit
- North East Counter Terrorism Unit
- Durham and Cleveland Specialist Operations Unit
- Welsh Extremism and Counter Terrorism Unit
- Gwent Police & South Wales Police Joint Armed Response Unit
Scotland
In 2011, the Scottish Government announced that it planned to amalgamate the eight territorial forces in Scotland, along with the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency, into a single agency. The Police and Fire Reform Act 2012, an Act of the Scottish Parliament, codified this amalgamation and brought about the new Police Service of Scotland. The new force was established on 1 April 2013.
In 2017, plans were being debated in the Scottish Parliament to merge railway policing with Police Scotland.
As of December 2019, police numbers in Scotland were:
- Police officers: 17,259
- Special constables: 531
- Other staff: 6,168
Northern Ireland
County and borough based police forces were not formed in Ireland as they were in Great Britain, with instead a single Royal Irish Constabulary covering most of Ireland. The Royal Ulster Constabulary was formed in 1922 after the establishment of the Irish Free State, and served until the reforms of the police under the terms established initially by the Good Friday Agreement of 1998 undertaken by the Patten Commission, which led to the renaming of the RUC in 2001. The Police Act 2000 sets out the basis for the organisation and function of the police force in the province. Until 2010, police powers were not transferred to the devolved Northern Ireland Executive, unlike Scotland, instead remaining with the Northern Ireland Office. However, in January 2010 agreement was reached between the two largest parties in the Assembly, the DUP and Sinn Féin, over a course that would see them assume responsibility for policing and justice from April.As of April 2007 police numbers in Northern Ireland were:
- Police officers: 7,216
- Full-time reserve police officers: 335
- Part-time police officers: 684
- Other staff: 2,265
Naming
County police forces traditionally bore the name "constabulary" upon their formation. The reorganisation of police forces over the years has seen this name dropped in favour of "police" as a name, as many have decided that the word "constabulary" is confusing for people more used to searching for the word "police". However, a number of police forces in the areas overseen by the United Kingdom retain the name "constabulary":- 12 territorial forces in England
- 1 special police force - Civil Nuclear Constabulary
- 1 territorial force in the crown dependencies
- 1 parks police force
National law enforcement
Bodies with police powers
These bodies operate in more than one county of the United Kingdom. The remit of some of the forces is further limited to the areas that they police, such as railway infrastructure. The Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 gave the British Transport Police and Ministry of Defence Police a limited, conditional authority to act outside of their primary jurisdiction, if the situation requires urgent police action and the local force are not readily available, or if they believe that there is risk to life or limb, or where they are assisting the local force.;Government agencies
- National Crime Agency – An agency that leads UK-wide activities to combat high-level crime such as organised crime. In addition, the NCA acts as the UK point of contact for foreign law enforcement agencies. It replaced the Serious Organised Crime Agency in 2013.
- Border Force – a law-enforcement command within the Home Office, responsible for frontline border control operations at air, sea and rail ports. Border Force officers are dual-warranted as immigration and customs officers. They have powers of arrest and detention under the Immigration Act 1971 and Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Act 2009. Designated immigration officers have additional powers from the UK Borders Act 2007, allowing them to arrest a person suspected non-border offences – as a police constable would.
- Immigration Enforcement are the Home Office specialist criminal investigations directorate.
- Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority – a Home Office investigative agency for labour exploitation, also working with other agencies on organised crime. GLAA officers have powers under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 akin to those of Police Constables.
- Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs – Since the creation of the UK Border Agency, in the early 21st Century, staff of HMRC no longer perform frontline duties at ports of entry. The remainder of the staff with law enforcement powers employed by HMRC consists of the Criminal Investigation Branch, who, as customs officers, continue to exercise the powers granted under the Customs Management Acts and the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, including arrest.
- Environment Agency Fisheries Enforcement Officers/Water bailiffs have the powers of a police constable under the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Act 1975. Officers/bailiffs protect fish and combat related crime.
- Ministry of Defence Police – A police force tasked with providing armed security, uniformed policing, and investigative services to Ministry of Defence installations throughout the United Kingdom.
- Civil Nuclear Constabulary – A police force responsible for providing law enforcement and security at or within 5 km of any relevant nuclear site and for nuclear materials in transit within the United Kingdom.
- British Transport Police – A police force responsible for providing law enforcement at certain railways and light-rail systems in Great Britain.
- National Wildlife Crime Unit – A police unit run by the NPCC that gathers intelligence on wildlife crime and provides analytical and investigative support to law enforcement agencies across the United Kingdom.
- National Counter Terrorism Security Office – A police unit run by the NPCC, which advises the British government on its counter terrorism strategy.
- National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service – A police unit run by the NPCC, tasked with combating organised vehicle crime and the use of vehicles in crime.
- National Domestic Extremism and Disorder Intelligence Unit – A police unit that is part of the Metropolitan Police Service Specialist Operations Directorate, tasked with coordinating police response to domestic extremism across the United Kingdom.
- Protection Command – A police unit that is part of the Metropolitan Police Service Specialist Operations Directorate, responsible for providing protective security to the government/diplomatic community and the Royal Family within the United Kingdom.
- National Fraud Intelligence Bureau – A police unit hosted by the City of London Police, tasked with combating economic crime throughout the United Kingdom.
- National Ballistics Intelligence Service – A police unit hosted by West Midlands Police, tasked with gathering and disseminating fast time intelligence on the criminal use of firearms across Great Britain.
- National Police Air Service – A police aviation service hosted by West Yorkshire Police, that provides centralised air support to the 43 territorial police forces in England and Wales.
Bodies with limited executive powers
- Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency
- Driver and Vehicle Agency
- The Independent Office for Police Conduct investigates complaints against police officers and staff of the police forces in England and Wales, and staff of HM Revenue and Customs, the National Crime Agency in England and Wales, the Border Force and officers from the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority. Certain investigators of the IOPC, for the purposes of the carrying out of an investigation and all purposes connected with it, have all the powers and privileges of constables throughout England and Wales and the territorial waters.
Bodies with solely investigatory powers
- Office for Security and Counter-Terrorism
- Security Service
- Serious Fraud Office
Miscellaneous police forces
Ports police
There are two types of port police in the United Kingdom — most are sworn in under the 1847 Act, but a few have Acts specific to their port.;Ports police operating under the Harbours, Docks, and Piers Clauses Act 1847
For every port/harbour, an individual Act of Parliament can incorporate parts of the Harbours, Docks, and Piers Clauses Act 1847 and apply them to that specific port/harbour. Officers of port police forces are sworn in as "special constables" under section 79 of the 1847 Act, as incorporated by the individual local Act. As a result, officers have the full powers of a constable on any land owned by the harbour, dock, or port and at any place within one mile of any owned land.
The Marine Navigation Act 2013 has potentially enabled ports contables in England & Wales to act as constables beyond this one mile limit, in relation to policing purposes connected with the port only, in a police area where consent has been obtained from the relevant Chief Constable. This act does not however give general police powers to ports constables beyond their core jurisdiction as set out in the 1847 act, merely in relation to policing purposes connected to the port as set out in the Act. As of 2014, 3 ports police forces have sought and received consent from the local Chief Constable, with a fourth in the process of applying for it. This has enabled these 3 ports forces to act as constables, in relation to policing purposes connected to the port, throughout the police area in which they are geographically located. There are 224 constables sworn in under the 1847 Act. Serious or major incidents or crime generally become the responsibility of the local territorial police force.
- Belfast Harbour Police — Belfast Harbour, Belfast: HDPCA incorporated by section 5 of the Belfast Harbour Act 1847.
- Larne Harbour Police — Larne Harbour Ltd, Larne.
- Port of Bristol Police — Port of Bristol, Bristol. Includes Avonmouth Dock, Bristol, Royal Portbury Dock, North Somerset, and 3 islands in the Bristol Channel: Denny Island, Flat Holme, Steep Holme.
- Port of Felixstowe Police — Port of Felixstowe, Suffolk: HDPCA incorporated by section 3 of the Felixstowe Dock and Railway Act 1956.
- Port of Portland Police — Portland Harbour, Isle of Portland: HDPCA incorporated by of the Portland Harbour Revision Order 1997.
- Falmouth Docks Police — Falmouth Docks, Falmouth, Cornwall: HDPCA incorporated by section 3 of the Falmouth Docks Act 1959.
- Port of Dover Police — Port of Dover, Dover: HDPCA incorporated by section 3 of the , and incorporation amended by of the Dover Harbour Revision Order 2006. Given the large amount of property owned by the port, their jurisdiction effectively extends to all of Dover and now throughout Kent in order to be able to take arrested persons to Custody Suites.
- Port of Liverpool Police — Port of Liverpool, Liverpool: current authority derives from article 3 of the . Port of Liverpool police officers are Crown police officers and not special constables.
- Port of Tilbury Police — Port of Tilbury, Essex: current authority derives from of the Port of London Act 1968
- Tees and Hartlepool Port Authority Harbour Police — Tees and Hartlepool: current authority derives from section 103 of the
- A large, new port on the Thames Estuary called "London Gateway", the owners have the authority to create their own police force for the port. The legislation also incorporates S.79 of the 1847 Act.
Parks police
Parks not controlled by local authorities
These small constabularies are responsible for policing specific land and parks. Officers of these forces have the powers of a constable within their limited jurisdiction. They are not constables as dealt with in the general Police Acts.- Epping Forest Keepers
- :Current powers derive from regulations made under Epping Forest Act 1878
- Kew Constabulary
- :Constables of this force have full police powers whilst on land belonging to the Royal Botanical Gardens as per the Parks Regulation Act 1872 as amended by section 3 of the Parks Regulation Act 1974.
Parks controlled by local authorities
Over history, a number of local authorities outside London have maintained their own parks police forces, the most notable being Liverpool and Birmingham. No local authority parks police forces currently exist outside London, although the legal powers for them to do so survive in a limited number of cases.In London, these constabularies are responsible for enforcing byelaws within the parks and open spaces of their respective local authorities. Members of the constabularies are sworn as constables under article 18 of the Greater London Parks and Open Spaces Order 1967. Members of the constabularies are constables only in relation to the enforcement of the parks byelaws.
- Hammersmith and Fulham Parks Constabulary
- Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Parks Police
- Hampstead Heath Constabulary, also appointed under section 16 of the Corporation of London Act 1878 with the full powers and privileges of police constables.
- Hillingdon Parks Patrol Service
- Wandsworth Parks and Events Police
Cathedral constables
See alsoCathedrals that have their own Constabularies consisting of attested constables that keep the peace at each Cathedral.
- York Minster Police
- Chester Cathedral Constables
- Canterbury Cathedral Close Constables
- Liverpool Cathedral Constables
Market police
Traditionally, markets would employ constables to look after markets. Most no longer exist, or exist in a form without attested constables.- The City of London market constabularies are three small constabularies responsible for security at Billingsgate, New Spitalfields and Smithfield markets run by the City of London Corporation. However, unlike most other miscellaneous police organisations, the members are no longer attested as constables.
- Birmingham Market Police were a body of constables responsible for policing Birmingham's markets, but lost their constable powers in 1976. In 2016 Birmingham City Council introduced "market enforcement officers", who are "accredited persons" under the Community Safety Accreditation Scheme, giving them the power to issue fixed penalty notices for a variety of low-level offences.
Other
- Belfast International Airport Constabulary – attested under article 19 of the Airports Order 1994 as constables for the airport, which employs them.
- Cambridge University Constabulary – attested under the Universities Act 1825 as constables within the university precincts and up to four miles from them.
- Mersey Tunnels Police – attested under section 105 of the County of Merseyside Act 1980 as constables in and around the tunnels.
Defence and military
- Northern Ireland Security Guard Service – Civilian Security Officers belonging to the Northern Ireland Security Guard Service are attested as Special Constables.
- Germany Guard Service - MOD uniformed civilian security officers providing armed security and access control to British Forces Germany units
- Military Provost Guard Service - part of the Army Adjutant General's Corps, tasked with armed security at military establishments in mainland UK.
- Ministry of Defence Guard Service - civilian unarmed security officers providing security and access control at MOD and some military establishments.
Service police
- Royal Navy Police
- Royal Military Police
- Royal Air Force Police
Service Police are PACE trained and all investigations are PACE compliant. They make regular use of civilian police facilities often conducting joint investigations where necessary. The Service Police are able to investigate all crime within their jurisdiction, up to and including Murder, however within the UK, offences of murder and sudden deaths are passed to the local police force as per national jurisdiction agreements.
Whilst operating in conflict zones the military police will conduct the full range of policing including murder investigations as evidenced by the Sgt Blackman investigation.
Bodies with limited enforcement powers
There are also non-police organisations who have been given certain powers to enforce rules, regulations and laws.- Under the community safety accreditation scheme and the similar railway safety accreditation scheme, police forces in England and Wales have the power to grant limited powers to official persons, for example, the power to confiscate alcohol from under 18s.
- Under the national railway byelaws, any 'authorised person' may ensure all persons on the railway are abiding by the byelaws. Generally, railway train operating companies leave this to dedicated enforcement officers. Sometimes these officers will have powers under the Railway safety accreditation scheme and as they are working for the railway, they also have powers under the railway byelaws.
Community based
- Community protection officer
- Street marshal
- Street Wise marshal
- Community safety officer
- Patrol officer
- Park ranger
- Neighbourhood warden
- Hospital security guard
- Security officer
- Security guard
- Street warden
- Community warden
- Business warden
- Business improvement district ranger
- Street ranger
- Council officer
- Tri-service safety officer
- Taxi and private hire compliance officer
- Protection officer
- Rail neighbourhood officer
Crown dependencies
Isle of Man
- The Isle of Man Constabulary is the police service of the Isle of Man.
- The Isle of Man Airport Police polices the main Isle of Man Airport , with officers who are "warranted constables" under the Isle of Man Airports and Civil Aviation Act.
- The Isle of Man Prison and Probation Service runs the Isle of Man Prison, the only prison on the island.
- Isle of Man Customs and Excise Division is tasked with customs duties on the island.
Bailiwick of Jersey
- The States of Jersey Police ' is the police service of Jersey. It was established in its current form by the Police Force Law, 1974 and consists of around 240 officers.
- States of Jersey Customs and Immigration Service
- Honorary Police – There is an Honorary Police force in each parish in Jersey. Honorary Police officers have, for centuries, been elected by parishioners to assist the Connétable of the Parish to maintain law and order, and to this day the only person who may charge a person with an offence is the Centenier of the parish in which the offence allegedly took place. Officers are elected as Centeniers, Vingteniers or Constable's Officers, each with various duties and responsibilities.
- Jersey Prison Service''', responsible for running the HM Prison La Moye.
Bailiwick of Guernsey
- The States of Guernsey Police Service is the local police force for the Crown dependency of Guernsey. In addition to providing police for the island of Guernsey itself, the Guernsey Police also provides detachments for the islands of Alderney, Herm and Sark.
- Guernsey Border Agency, responsible with policing cross border and financial crime, customs and immigration.
- Guernsey Prison Service, responsible for running HMP Guernsey, the main prison on the island.
Overseas Territories
Civil Police
Table
Flag of Territory | Arms of Territory | Service/Force Name | Location | Motto | Information |
Civilian Sovereign Base Areas Police and Military Cyprus Joint Police Unit | Cyprus, Mediterranean Sea | Civilian defence police and British service police police the SBAs | |||
Royal Anguilla Police Force | Caribbean, North Atlantic Ocean | ||||
Bermuda Police Service, Bermuda Airport Security Police | North Atlantic Ocean between the Azores, the Caribbean, Cape Sable Island and Canada | ||||
n/a | Antarctica | No police force | |||
British Indian Ocean Territory Police | Indian Ocean | BIOT police are serving military police NCOs and officers from the British Armed Forces | |||
Royal Virgin Islands Police Force | Caribbean, North Atlantic Ocean | ||||
Royal Cayman Islands Police Service | Caribbean | ||||
Royal Falkland Islands Police | |||||
Royal Gibraltar Police, Gibraltar Defence Police | Iberian Peninsula, Continental Europe | ||||
Royal Montserrat Police Service | Caribbean, North Atlantic Ocean | ||||
see Law enforcement in the Pitcairn Islands | Pacific Ocean | Serious sexual abuse history. New Zealand police and prison officers carry out services on the Island | |||
Saint Helena Police Service police all three islands | |||||
Saint Helena Police Service | |||||
Saint Helena Police Service | |||||
Saint Helena Police Service | - | ||||
See Information box | Reserve police officers. Chief of Police is the Chief of Royal Falkland Islands Police, any full-time officer needed is also RFIP | ||||
Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force | Lucayan Archipelago, North Atlantic Ocean | “To make the Turks and Caicos Islands a safe and secure country in which to visit, invest, work, and live” | One of the oldest forces - founded in 1799 |
List
- Bermuda Police Service
- Bermuda Airport Security Police
- Royal Anguilla Police Force
- Pitcairn Islands Police
- Royal Cayman Islands Police Service
- Royal Falkland Islands Police
- Royal Montserrat Police Force
- Royal Virgin Islands Police Force
- Saint Helena Police Service
- Royal Gibraltar Police
- Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force
Ministry of Defence overseas police
- Sovereign Base Areas Police
- Gibraltar Defence Police
Overseas service (military) police
- British Indian Ocean Territory Police - military police that act as the police for BIOT
- Cyprus Joint Police Unit
- Falkland Islands Joint Service Police Security Unit
- Gibraltar Joint Provost and Security Unit
Prison service and corrections
- Her Majesty's Prison Service Turks and Caicos
- Bermuda Department of Corrections
- HM Prison
- Her Majesty's Prison and Probation Service, Falkland Islands
- Her Majesty's Virgin Islands Prison Service
- Her Majesty's Cayman Islands Prison Service
- Her Majesty's Prison Anguilla
- Her Majesty's Prison Montserrat
Customs, immigration and border
- Her Majesty's Customs
- Border and Coastguard Agency
- Turks & Caicos Customs Department
- Turks and Caicos Immigration Department
- Her Majesty's Customs, British Virgin Islands
- HM Customs and Excise
- HM Customs Bermuda
- Cayman Islands Customs and Border Control
UK law enforcement overseas
- Germany Guard Service - MOD civilian armed guard service that protect British military bases in Germany.
Overseas law enforcement in the UK
- Garda Síochána – Under an agreement between the British Government and the Irish Government and under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the Garda Síochána and the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland are allowed to inspect the Sellafield nuclear facility in Cumbria.
- Police aux Frontières – As part of the Channel Tunnel agreement between the British and French governments, the Police aux Frontières maintains a presence at St. Pancras International, Ebbsfleet International and Ashford International railway stations and on Eurostar trains. The British Transport Police have a reciprocal arrangement at the Gare du Nord in Paris. The Police aux Frontieres also maintain a presence at passport control at the Eurotunnel terminal in Folkestone and at Dover port, whilst Kent Police maintains a presence at Coquelles on the French side of the tunnel. Similar arrangements allow the Border Force to operate juxtaposed controls in France and Belgium.
- Military police of visiting forces while present within the terms of the Visiting Forces Act 1952.