Every United Kingdom’s legal system, law enforcement in the United Kingdom is organized independently. Many law enforcements are performed within one of those regions by police officers working in regional police services. The UK-wide agencies complement these regional services.
Certain powers are given to police officers to allow them to perform their duties. Their main responsibilities are the protection of life and properties, the promotion of order, and the prevention and investigation of unlawful incidents. They use their powers to police with the public’s implicit consent in the British police system. The term used to explain this is ‘Policing by consent”. It states that in the eyes of the people, the credibility of police is founded on a common opinion of approval arising from accountability of their powers, their honesty in the execution of those powers, and their responsibilities for using it.
The number of police officers in England and Wales dropped by nearly 20,000 between 2010 and 2019. The London Metropolitan Police witnessed officer numbers drop from over 33,000 to about 31,200 during the same time. Undoubtedly, the drop in officer numbers were the product of UK-wide budget cuts, with police budgets dropping from 19.3 billion in 2009 and 2010 to 17.99 billion during 2018 and 2019.
- Avon and Somerset Police
Territory: Non-metropolitan county of Somerset and unitary authorities of North East Somerset and Bath, Bristol, South Gloucestershire, and North Somerset
- Bedfordshire Police
Territory: Unitary authorities of Bedford, Luton, and Central Bedfordshire
- British Transport Police
Territory: Docklands Light Railway, National Rail network, Glasgow Subway, London Trams, West Midlands Metro, London Underground, and the Sunderland line of the Tyne and Wear Metro
- Cambridge shire Constabulary
Territory: Unitary authority of Peterborough and Non-metropolitan county of Cambridgeshire
- Cheshire Constabulary
Territory: Unitary authorities of Cheshire East, Halton, Cheshire West and Chester, and Warrington
- City of London Police
Territory: City of London
- Civil Nuclear Constabulary
Territory: Civilian nuclear facilities
- Cleveland Police
- Territory: Unitary authorities of Hartlepool, Stockton-on-Tees, Redcar, Cleveland, and Middlesbrough
- Cumbria Constabulary
Territory: Non-metropolitan county of Cumbria
- Derbyshire Constabulary
Territory: Unitary authority of Derby and Non-metropolitan county of Derbyshire
- Devon and Cornwall Police
Territory: Unitary authorities of Cornwall, Non-metropolitan county of Devon and the Isles of Scilly, Plymouth, and Torbay
- Dorset Police
Territory: Unitary authorities of Dorset and Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
- Durham Constabulary
Territory: Unitary authorities of County Durham and Darlington
- Dyfed-Powys Police
Territory: Main areas of Ceredigion, Carmarthenshire, Powys and Pembrokeshire
- Essex Police
Territory: Unitary authorities of Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock, and Non-metropolitan county of Essex
- Gloucestershire Constabulary
Territory: Non-metropolitan county of Gloucestershire - Greater Manchester Police
Territory: Metropolitan county of Greater Manchester
- Gwent Police
Territory: Main areas of Caerphilly, Blaenau Gwent, Newport, Monmouthshire, and Torfaen
- Hampshire Constabulary
Territory: Unitary authorities of the Isle of Wight, Portsmouth, and Southampton and Non-metropolitan county of Hampshire
- Hertfordshire Constabulary
Territory: Non-metropolitan county of Hertfordshire
- Humberside Police
Territory: Unitary authorities of East Riding of Yorkshire, North East Lincolnshire, Kingston upon Hull, and North Lincolnshire
- Kent Police
Territory: Unitary authority of Medway and the Non-metropolitan county of Kent
- Lancashire Constabulary
Territory: Unitary authorities of Blackburn with Darwen and Blackpool and the Non-metropolitan county of Lancashire
- Leicestershire Police
Territory: unitary authorities of Leicester and Rutland and the Non-metropolitan county of Leicestershire
- Lincolnshire Police
Territory: Non-metropolitan county of Lincolnshire
- Merseyside Police
Territory: Metropolitan county of Merseyside
- Metropolitan Police Service
Territory: Metropolitan Police District
- Ministry of Defence Police
Territory: Military establishments, Whitehall, MOD family quarters, designated critical national infrastructure
- Norfolk Constabulary
Territory: Non-metropolitan county of Norfolk
- North Wales Police
Territory: Main areas of Conwy, Anglesey, Flintshire, Denbighshire, Wrexham, and Gwynedd,
- Northamptonshire Police
Territory: Non-metropolitan county of Northamptonshire
- Northumbria Police
Territory: Unitary authority of Northumberland and the Metropolitan county of Tyne and Wear
- North Yorkshire Police
Territory: Unitary authority of York and the Non-metropolitan county of North Yorkshire
- Nottinghamshire Police
Territory: Unitary authority of Nottingham and the Non-metropolitan county of Nottinghamshire
- Police Service of Northern Ireland
Territory: Northern Ireland
- Police Scotland
Territory: Scotland
- South Wales Police
Territory: Principal areas of Cardiff, Bridgend, Merthyr Tydfil, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Neath Port Talbot, Vale of Glamorgan, and the Swansea
- South Yorkshire Police
Territory: Metropolitan county of South Yorkshire
- Staffordshire Police
Territory: Unitary authority of Stoke-on-Trent and the Non-metropolitan county of Staffordshire
- Suffolk Constabulary
Territory: Non-metropolitan county of Suffolk
- Surrey Police
Territory: Non-metropolitan county of Surrey
- Sussex Police
Territory: Unitary authority of Brighton and Hove and the Non-metropolitan counties of East Sussex and West Sussex
- Thames Valley Police
Territory: Unitary authorities of Bracknell Forest, Milton Keynes, Reading, Slough, Wokingham, West Berkshire, and Windsor Non-metropolitan counties of Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire and Maidenhead
- Warwickshire Police
Territory: Non-metropolitan county of Warwickshire
- West Mercia Police
Territory: Unitary authorities of Herefordshire, Shropshire, and Telford and Wrekin and the Non-metropolitan county of Worcestershire
- West Midlands Police
Territory: Metropolitan county of the West Midlands
- West Yorkshire Police
Territory: Metropolitan county of West Yorkshire
- Wiltshire Police
Territory: Unitary authorities of Swindon and Wiltshire