Police England and Wales

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Police England and Wales
Heddlu Cymru a Lloegr (Welsh)
Flag
Flag
AbbreviationPEW
MottoCadw Pobl yn Ddiogel
Keeping People Safe
Agency overview
Formed1999
Employees125,000
Annual budget£7.196 billion (2023/24)
Legal personalityPolice force
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdictionEngland and Wales
Location map of England in 1700.svg
Police England and Wales's jurisdiction
Size151,047 km2 (55,8319 sq mi)
Population59,641,000
Governing bodyEnglish and Welsh Police Authority
Constituting instrument
General nature
Operational structure
HeadquartersScotland Yard, Westminster, London
Police officers125,000
Cabinet secretary responsible
Agency executive
Parent agencyUnited Kingdom Police Force
Divisions13
Facilities
Stations1,205
AirbasesLondon Heliport
Vehicles21,398
Helicopters4,280
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 10 Broadway, the previous headquarters of the Metropolitan Police. Until 2016, it shared the building with its parent organisation, namely the United Kingdom Police Force, before the latter subsequently relocated to New Scotland Yard.