What Are the UK Police Forces?

The UK has a mix of regional and specialist police forces. In England and Wales, there are 43 territorial police forces of varying size; 39 in England and 4 in Wales. Scotland has a single police force for the entire country (Police Scotland), as does Northern Ireland (PSNI).

Below is a comprehensive list of and links to each UK police force to aid you in your ambition to join the police. Each has its own recruitment process, mission statement, and other useful information...

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Police Forces in England

• Avon and Somerset Constabulary
• Bedfordshire Police
• Cambridgeshire Constabulary
• Cheshire Constabulary
• City of London Police
• Cleveland Police
• Cumbria Constabulary
• Derbyshire Constabulary
• Devon & 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
• North Yorkshire Police
• Northamptonshire Police
• Northumbria 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

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Police Forces in Wales

• Dyfed-Powys Police
• Gwent Police
• North Wales Police 
• South Wales Police

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Police Scotland

• Police Scotland

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Police Service Northern Ireland (PSNI)

• Police Service of Northern Ireland

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National & Other UK Police Forces

• British Transport Police
• Civil Nuclear Constabulary
• Ministry of Defence Police
• National Crime Agency
• National Police Air Service

Note that the British Armed Forces have their own police forces as part of their structure. These are the Royal Military Police (RMP), the Royal Navy Police (RNP), and the Royal Air Force Police (RAFP). The MoD Police is different in that it exists to protect sites of national importance, whereas the military police primarily acts to maintain law and order among armed forces personnel.

​Other localised forces are as follows:

• Guernsey Police
• Isle of Man Constabulary
• Port of Dover Police
• States of Jersey Police