Due to various acts of Parliament the numbers of law enforcement agencies in the United Kingdom has varied drastically since the Metropolitan Police Act 1829 set up the first modern police force in London.
There are currently over 60 law enforcement agencies operating in the United Kingdom. See List of law enforcement agencies in the United Kingdom, Crown Dependencies and British Overseas Territories for these.
For former (non-police) law enforcement agencies, see :Category:Defunct law enforcement agencies of the United Kingdom. For defunct police forces, see :Category:Defunct police forces of the United Kingdom
England and Wales police forces Abolished before 1889 The County Police Act 1840 allowed for borough police forces to voluntarily amalgamate with county constabularies. Abingdon Borough Police, to Berkshire Andover Borough Police (1846, to Hampshire) Banbury Borough Police, to Oxfordshire Bodmin Borough Police (1865, to Cornwall) Bradninch Borough Police (1865, to Devon) Chipping Norton Borough Police, to Oxfordshire Henley Borough Police, to Oxfordshire Honiton Borough Police; (to Devon County) Launceston Borough Police (1883, to Cornwall) Liskeard Borough Police (1877, to Cornwall) Lymington Borough Police (1852, to Hampshire) Monmouth Borough Police (1881, to Monmouthshire) Newbury Borough Police (1875, to Berkshire) Okehampton Borough Police (1860, to Devon) Romsey Borough Police (1865, to Hampshire) South Molton Borough Police (1877, to Devon) Tavistock Borough Police (1856, to Devon) Thames River Police, absorbed into the London Metropolitan Police in 1839 Torrington Borough Police (1870, then again from 1878 to 1886, to Devon) Torquay Borough Police (1870, to Devon) Totnes Borough Police (1884, to Devon) Wallingford Borough Police, to Berkshire Wantage Borough Police, to Berkshire Warwick Borough Police (1875, to Warwickshire) Wolborough Borough Police (1859, to Devon)
Abolished under the Local Government Act 1888 The Local Government Act 1888, which came into force in 1889 passed control of county constabularies to standing joint committees of county councillors and magistrates, and merged smaller borough police forces (where the town had a population of less than 10,000) with the county police.
Basingstoke Borough Police (1889, to Hampshire) Bideford Borough Police (1889, to Devon) Buckingham Borough Police (1889 to Buckinghamshire) Deal Borough Police (1889, to Kent) Falmouth Borough Police (1889, to Cornwall) Faversham Borough Police (1889, to Kent) Helston Borough Police (1889, to Cornwall) Hertford Borough Police (1889, to Hertfordshire) Hythe Borough Police (1889, to Kent) Maidenhead Borough Police (1889, to Berkshire) Newport Borough Police (1890, to Isle of Wight) Penryn Borough Police (1889, to Cornwall) Sandwich Borough Police (1889, to Kent) Stratford-upon-Avon Borough Police (1889, to Warwickshire) St Ives Borough Police (1889, to Cornwall) Tenterden Borough Police (1889, to Kent)
Abolished 1890–1942
Barnstaple Borough Police (1921, to Devon) Banbury Borough Police (1925, to Oxfordshire) Berwick upon Tweed Borough Police (1921, to Northumberland) Bridgwater Borough Police (1940, to Somerset Constabulary) Devonport Borough Police (1914, to Plymouth) Hanley Borough Police (1910, to Stoke-on-Trent Borough Police) Ryde Borough Police (1922, to Isle of Wight) Truro City Police (1921, to Cornwall. Prior to 1877 the force was called Truro Borough Police) Weymouth Borough Police (1921, to Dorset Constabulary)
Abolished under the Defence (Amalgamation of Police Forces) Regulations 1942
The Defence (Amalgamation of Police Forces) Regulations 1942 (SR&O 1942/1443) were emergency wartime regulations made under the Emergency Powers (Defence) Act 1939.
NB – Some were re-constituted after the war but then abolished in 1946.
Dover Borough Police (1943, to Kent) Folkestone Borough Police (1943, to Kent) Maidstone Borough Police (1943, to Kent) Margate Borough Police (1943, to Kent) Ramsgate Borough Police (1943, to Kent) Rochester City Police (1943, to Kent) Tiverton Borough Police (1943, to Devon) Tunbridge Wells Police Force (1943, to Kent) Winchester City Police (1942, to Hampshire Joint) Guildford Borough Police (1943 to Surrey) Reigate Borough Police (1943 to Surrey) Salisbury City Police (1943 to Wiltshire Constabulary)
Abolished under the Police Act 1946
Non-county borough forces Accrington Borough Police; to Lancashire Constabulary Ashton-under-Lyne Borough Police; to Lancashire Constabulary Bacup Borough Police; to Lancashire Constabulary Bedford Borough Police; to Bedfordshire Constabulary Boston Borough Police; to Lincolnshire Constabulary Carmarthen Borough Police; to Carmarthenshire Constabulary Chepping Wycombe Borough Police; to Buckinghamshire Constabulary Chesterfield Borough Police; to Derbyshire Constabulary Clitheroe Borough Police; to Lancashire Constabulary Colchester Borough Police; to Essex Constabulary Congleton Borough Police; to Cheshire Constabulary Glossop Borough Police; to Derbyshire Constabulary Grantham Borough Police; to Lincolnshire Constabulary Hartlepool Borough Police; to Durham Constabulary Hereford Borough Police; to Herefordshire Constabulary Hyde Borough Police; to Cheshire Constabulary Isles of Scilly Police (1947, to Cornwall) Kendal Borough Police; to Cumberland and Westmorland Constabulary Kidderminster Borough Police; to Worcestershire Constabulary King's Lynn Borough Police; to Norfolk Constabulary Lancaster Borough Police; to Lancashire Constabulary Leamington Spa Borough Police; to Warwickshire Constabulary Luton Borough Police; to Bedfordshire Constabulary Macclesfield Borough Police; to Cheshire Constabulary Neath Borough Police; to Glamorgan Constabulary Newark Borough Police; to Nottinghamshire Constabulary Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Police; to Staffordshire Constabulary Penzance Borough Police; to Cornwall County Constabulary Peterborough City Police; to Peterborough Combined Police Force St Albans City Police; to Hertfordshire Constabulary Scarborough Borough Police; to North Riding Constabulary Shrewsbury Borough Police; to Shropshire Constabulary Stalybridge Borough Police; to Cheshire Constabulary Windsor Borough Police; to Berkshire Constabulary
County borough forces Chester City Police; to Cheshire Constabulary Canterbury City Police; to Kent Constabulary
County forces
Anglesey Constabulary; to Gwynedd Constabulary Breconshire Constabulary; to Mid Wales Constabulary Caernarvonshire Constabulary; to Gwynedd Constabulary Cardiganshire Constabulary; to Carmarthenshire and Cardiganshire Constabulary Carmarthenshire Constabulary; to Carmarthenshire and Cardiganshire Constabulary Isle of Wight Constabulary; to Hampshire Constabulary Merionethshire Constabulary; to Gwynedd Constabulary Montgomeryshire Constabulary; to Mid Wales Constabulary Radnorshire Constabulary; to Mid Wales Constabulary Leicestershire Constabulary; to Leicestershire and Rutland Constabulary Liberty of Peterborough Constabulary; to Peterborough Combined Police Force Rutland Constabulary; to Leicestershire and Rutland Constabulary
Abolished under the Police Act 1964
Borough forces Bath City Police; to Somerset and Bath Constabulary Barnsley Borough Police; to West Yorkshire Constabulary Barrow-in-Furness Borough Police; to Lancashire Constabulary Birkenhead Borough Police; to Cheshire Constabulary Blackburn Borough Police; to Lancashire Constabulary Blackpool Borough Police; to Lancashire Constabulary Bolton Borough Police; to Lancashire Constabulary Bootle Borough Police; to Liverpool and Bootle Constabulary Bournemouth Borough Police; to Dorset and Bournemouth Constabulary Brighton Borough Police; to Sussex Constabulary Burnley Borough Police; to Lancashire Constabulary Bury Borough Police; to Lancashire Constabulary Cambridge City Police; to Mid Anglia Constabulary Cardiff Borough Police; to South Wales Police Carlisle City Police; to Cumbria Constabulary Coventry City Police; to Warwickshire and Coventry Constabulary Derby Borough Police; to Derby County and Borough Constabulary Dewsbury Borough Police; to West Yorkshire Constabulary Doncaster Borough Police; to West Yorkshire Constabulary Eastbourne Borough Police; to Sussex Constabulary Exeter City Police; to Devon and Exeter Constabulary Gateshead Borough Police; to Durham Constabulary Great Yarmouth Borough Police; to Norfolk Constabulary Grimsby Borough Police; to Lincolnshire Constabulary Hastings Borough Police; to Sussex Constabulary Halifax Borough Police; to West Yorkshire Constabulary Huddersfield Borough Police; to West Yorkshire Constabulary Ipswich Borough Police; to Suffolk Constabulary Leicester City Police; to Leicester and Rutland Constabulary Lincoln City Police; to Lincolnshire Constabulary Liverpool City Police; to Liverpool and Bootle Constabulary Luton Borough Police (again); to Bedfordshire and Luton Constabulary Manchester City Police; to Manchester and Salford Police Merthyr Tydfil Borough Police; to South Wales Constabulary Middlesbrough Borough Police; to Teesside Newcastle upon Tyne Borough Police; to Northumberland Constabulary Newport Borough Police; to Gwent Police Northampton Borough Police; to Northampton and County Constabulary Norwich City Police; to Norfolk Constabulary Nottingham City Police; to Nottinghamshire Combined Constabulary Oldham Borough Police; to Lancashire Constabulary Oxford City Police; to Thames Valley Constabulary Plymouth City Police; to Devon and Cornwall Constabulary Portsmouth City Police; to Hampshire Constabulary Preston Borough Police; to Lancashire Constabulary Reading Borough Police; to Thames Valley Constabulary Rochdale Borough Police; to Lancashire Constabulary Rotherham Borough Police; to Sheffield and Rotherham Constabulary Salford City Police; to Manchester and Salford Police Sheffield Borough Police; to Sheffield and Rotherham Constabulary St Helens Borough Police; to Lancashire Constabulary Stockport Borough Police; to Cheshire Constabulary Stoke-on-Trent City Police; to Staffordshire County and Stoke-on-Trent Constabulary Southampton City Police; to Hampshire Constabulary Southend-on-Sea Borough Police; to Essex and Southend-on-Sea Joint Constabulary South Shields Borough Police; to Durham Constabulary Southport Borough Police; to Lancashire Constabulary Sunderland Borough Police; to Durham Constabulary Swansea Borough Police; to South Wales Constabulary Tynemouth Borough Police; to Northumberland Constabulary Wakefield City Police; to West Yorkshire Constabulary Wallasey Borough Police; to Cheshire Constabulary Warrington Borough Police; to Lancashire Constabulary Wigan Borough Police; to Lancashire Constabulary Worcester City Police; to West Mercia Constabulary York City Police; to York and North East Yorkshire Police
County/combined forces Bedfordshire Constabulary; to Bedfordshire and Luton Constabulary Berkshire Constabulary; to Thames Valley Constabulary Buckinghamshire Constabulary; to Thames Valley Constabulary Cambridgeshire Constabulary (original); to Mid Anglia Constabulary Carmarthenshire and Cardiganshire Constabulary; to Dyfed-Powys Constabulary Cornwall County Constabulary; to Devon and Cornwall Constabulary Cumberland and Westmorland Constabulary; to Cumbria Constabulary Derbyshire Constabulary; to Derby County and Borough Constabulary Devon County Constabulary; to Devon and Exeter Constabulary Devon and Exeter Constabulary; to Devon and Cornwall Constabulary Dorset Constabulary; to Dorset and Bournemouth Constabulary East Riding Constabulary; to York and North East Yorkshire Police East Suffolk Constabulary; to Suffolk Constabulary East Sussex Constabulary; to Sussex Constabulary Essex Constabulary; to Essex and Southend-on-Sea Joint Constabulary Glamorgan Constabulary; to South Wales Constabulary Herefordshire Constabulary; to West Mercia Constabulary Huntingdonshire Constabulary; to Mid Anglia Constabulary Isle of Ely Constabulary; to Mid Anglia Constabulary