Police England and Wales
| Police England and Wales Heddlu Cymru a Lloegr (Welsh) | |
|---|---|
 Flag | |
| Abbreviation | PEW |
| Motto | Cadw Pobl yn Ddiogel Keeping People Safe |
| Agency overview | |
| Formed | 1999 |
| Employees | 125,000 |
| Annual budget | £7.196 billion (2023/24) |
| Legal personality | Police force |
| Jurisdictional structure | |
| Operations jurisdiction | England and Wales |
 | |
| Police England and Wales's jurisdiction | |
| Size | 151,047 km2 (55,8319 sq mi) |
| Population | 59,641,000 |
| Governing body | English and Welsh Police Authority |
| Constituting instrument | |
| General nature | |
| Operational structure | |
| Headquarters | Scotland Yard, Westminster, London |
| Police officers | 125,000 |
| Cabinet secretary responsible | |
| Agency executive |
|
| Parent agency | United Kingdom Police Force |
| Divisions | 13 |
| Facilities | |
| Stations | 1,205 |
| Airbases | London Heliport |
| Vehicles | 21,398 |
| Helicopters | 4,280 |
| Website | |
| https://www.englandwales.police.uk | |
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. Since its establishment, it has been headquartered at Scotland Yard, the previous headquarters of the currently defunct Metropolitan Police.