Police leaders have addressed concerns about forces being merged and functions centralised amidst fears north Wales’ cultural identity and existing partnerships could be overlooked.

The concerns were raised at the North Wales Police and Crime Panel.

Members heard details of an ongoing review of policing across England and Wales, which follows reforms announced by UK Government in 2024.

The review is expected to recommend “significantly fewer police forces” in future and forms part of wider plans that will see a new National Police Service introduced from 2027.

The service, which has been compared to America’s FBI, will see the larger organisation deal with serious crime and LPAs – or Local Police Areas underneath – deal with local issues.

Assistant Chief Constable Nick Evans said North Wales Police had made strong representations to ensure Wales was properly understood by those carrying out the review.

The comments came after the committee heard details of a White Paper proposing what officers described as a “radical restructuring” of policing.

The reforms are intended to address what UK Government sees as the challenges of modern policing, including cybercrime, online fraud, organised crime, and financial pressures facing forces.

The National Police Service would be created to oversee functions also including counter terrorism and national policing.

While no final decisions have been taken, the independent review is being led by Lord David Blunkett and expected to make recommendations on future force structures this summer.

The Assistant Chief Constable told the committee that North Wales Police had looked at reforms in Scotland to understand both the “opportunities and risks” involved in reorganisation.

He described the proposals as a potentially a “huge change” and said questions remained about how any transition would work without affecting day-to-day policing.

One of the force’s key concerns centres on North Wales’ long-established operational links with north west England and cities such as Manchester and Liverpool.