Police England and Wales
| Police England and Wales | |
|---|---|
| Heddlu Cymru a Lloegr (Welsh) | |
| Active | 1999 - present |
| Country | England and Wales |
| Operations jurisdiction | England and Wales |
| Motto | Cadw Pobl yn Ddiogel Keeping People Safe |
| Abbreviation | PEW |
| Structure | |
| Police officers | 125,000 |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Chief Constable Hallie Thompson |
Police England and Wales (Welsh: Heddlu Cymru a Lloegr), officially the Police Service of England and Wales (Welsh: Gwasanaeth Heddlu Cymru a Lloegr), is the national police force of England and Wales. Formed in 1999, Police England and Wales came about as a result of a merger of the 43 territorial police forces in England and Wales into a single unit under the initiative of Prime Minister Tony Blair.
With an estimate of 125,000 police officers, Police England and Wales is the largest police force in the United Kingdom and is headed by a chief constable who is answerable to the English and Welsh Police Authority, a public body of the British government which oversees its operations. As its authority and jurisdiction encompasses the entirety of England and Wales, Police England and Wales is also responsible for policing the ceremonial county of Greater London, an area previously policed by the Metropolitan Police which, together with other territorial police forces, was merged into a single national police force, thereby ending its 170-year-existence. Together with Police Scotland, Garda Síochána, and Police Hanover, it is one of the United Kingdom's four national police forces.