The Police Act 1946 (1946 c.46) was an

Act of Parliament Acts of Parliament, sometimes referred to as primary legislation, are texts of law passed by the Legislature, legislative body of a jurisdiction (often a parliament or council). In most countries with a parliamentary system of government, acts of ...

of the

Parliament of the United Kingdom The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of Westminster, London. It alone possesses legislative suprema ...

that provided for the

amalgamation Amalgamation is the process of combining or uniting multiple entities into one form. Amalgamation, amalgam, and other derivatives may refer to: Mathematics and science * Amalgam (chemistry), the combination of mercury with another metal **Pan am ...

of smaller borough police forces with county constabularies in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

and

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

, allowed for the merger of county forces in certain circumstances and changed the boundaries of the

Metropolitan Police District The Metropolitan Police District (MPD) is the police area which is policed by the Metropolitan Police Service in London. It currently consists of the Greater London region, excluding the City of London. The Metropolitan Police District was create ...

. The appointed day for the amalgamations was 1 April 1947. On that date forty-five non-county borough police forces were merged with those of the counties in which they were situated. In the case of fourteen of these boroughs, they had already been temporarily placed under the county police by the Defence (Amalgamation of Police Forces) Regulations 1942. Section 13 of the 1946 Act made these amalgamations permanent. One non-county borough force, Cambridge City Police, was allowed to continue, the city having a larger population than the surrounding county. The Act made similar provision for Peterborough City Police, although in the event it formed a combined force with the

Soke of Peterborough The Soke of Peterborough is a historic area of England associated with the City and Diocese of Peterborough, but considered part of Northamptonshire. The Soke was also described as the Liberty of Peterborough, or Nassaburgh hundred, and compr ...

. Following the 1947 mergers there were 133 police forces covering England and Wales: *

Metropolitan Police The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), formerly and still commonly known as the Metropolitan Police (and informally as the Met Police, the Met, Scotland Yard, or the Yard), is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement and ...

City of London Police The City of London Police is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement within the City of London, including the Middle and Inner Temples. The force responsible for law enforcement within the remainder of the London region, ou ...

*55 county police forces † *71

county borough County borough is a term introduced in 1889 in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, to refer to a borough or a city independent of county council control, similar to the unitary authorities created since the 1990s. An equivalent ter ...

police forces *1 non-county borough force (Cambridge) *4 combined police forces † The actual number was 53, as the Lincolnshire Constabulary was jointly maintained by three counties. Section 3 of the Act allowed for the voluntary amalgamation of county and county borough forces, while Section 4 gave the Home Secretary the power to make amalgamation schemes of constabularies. Section 16 provided for the "rectification" of the Metropolitan Police District, realigning it with contemporary local government boundaries. Section 18 placed the

Isles of Scilly The Isles of Scilly (; kw, Syllan, ', or ) is an archipelago off the southwestern tip of Cornwall, England. One of the islands, St Agnes, is the most southerly point in Britain, being over further south than the most southerly point of the ...

under the Cornwall County Constabulary

1947 amalgamations

* Bedfordshire Constabulary absorbed Bedford Borough Police,

Luton Borough Police Luton () is a town and unitary authority with borough status, in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 census, the Luton built-up area subdivision had a population of 211,228 and its built-up area, including the adjacent towns of Dunstable an ...

Berkshire Constabulary Berkshire Constabulary is a former Home Office police force which was responsible for policing the county of Berkshire in Southern England. Berkshire Constabulary was merged with four other adjacent police forces in 1968 to form the Thames Valley ...

absorbed

Windsor Borough Police Windsor Borough Police was the police force responsible for policing the borough of Windsor in Berkshire, England until 1947. It had been established in 1836 as a result of the Municipal Corporations Act 1835. Windsor Borough Police was amalgamat ...

Buckinghamshire Constabulary Buckinghamshire Constabulary was the Home Office police force for the county of Buckinghamshire, England, until 1968. Buckinghamshire Constabulary was established 6 February 1857. At establishment it had a strength of 102 officers. In 1868, p ...

absorbed Chepping Wycombe Borough Police * Carmarthenshire Constabulary absorbed

Carmarthen Borough Police Carmarthen (, RP: ; cy, Caerfyrddin , " Merlin's fort" or "Sea-town fort") is the county town of Carmarthenshire and a community in Wales, lying on the River Towy. north of its estuary in Carmarthen Bay. The population was 14,185 in 2011, d ...

Cheshire Constabulary Cheshire Constabulary is the territorial police force responsible for policing the English unitary authorities of Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester, Borough of Halton and Borough of Warrington. The force is responsible for policing an are ...

absorbed Chester City Police,

Congleton Borough Police Cheshire Constabulary is the territorial police force responsible for policing the English unitary authorities of Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester, Borough of Halton and Borough of Warrington. The force is responsible for policing an a ...

, Hyde Borough Police,

Macclesfield Borough Police Macclesfield is a market town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East in Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Bollin in the east of the county, on the edge of the Cheshire Plain, with Macclesfield Forest to its eas ...

, Stalybridge Borough Police * Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Constabulary formed by the merger of the Cornwall County Constabulary,

Isles of Scilly Police Isles may refer to: Places *British Isles, often referred to as "the Isles" *Kingdom of the Isles, a medieval realm comprising the Hebrides, the islands of the Firth of Clyde, and the Isle of Man People * Carlin Isles (born 1989), American rugby ...

and

Penzance Borough Police Penzance Borough Police was the police force for the borough and corporate town of Penzance, Cornwall, from 1836 to 1947. It was formed following the passing of the Municipal Corporations Act 1835, which reformed all UK boroughs, and stipulate ...

Cumberland and Westmorland Constabulary Cumbria Constabulary is the territorial police force in England covering Cumbria. As of September 2017, the force had 1,108 police officers, 535 police staff, 93 police community support officers, and 86 special constables. The force serves a ...

absorbed Kendal Borough Police * Derbyshire Constabulary absorbed

Chesterfield Borough Police Chesterfield may refer to: Places Canada * Rural Municipality of Chesterfield No. 261, Saskatchewan * Chesterfield Inlet, Nunavut United Kingdom *Chesterfield, Derbyshire, a market town in England ** Chesterfield (UK Parliament constituenc ...

Glossop Borough Police Glossop is a market town in the Borough of High Peak, Derbyshire, England. It is located east of Manchester, north-west of Sheffield and north of the county town, Matlock. Glossop lies near Derbyshire's borders with Cheshire, Greater Manches ...

Durham Constabulary Durham Constabulary is the territorial police force responsible for policing ceremonial county of County Durham in North East England. The force’s area is bordered by Cumbria Constabulary to the west, Cleveland Police to the south east, Nor ...

absorbed

Hartlepool Borough Police Hartlepool () is a seaside and port town in County Durham, England. It is the largest settlement and administrative centre of the Borough of Hartlepool. With an estimated population of 90,123, it is the second-largest settlement in County ...

* Essex Constabulary absorbed Colchester Borough Police *

Glamorgan Constabulary Glamorgan Constabulary, or Glamorganshire Constabulary, was the Home Office police force for the county of Glamorgan, Wales. The force was formed in 1841. It absorbed Neath Borough Police in 1947 In 1965, the force had an establishment of 1,153 an ...

absorbed

Neath Borough Police Neath (; cy, Castell-nedd) is a market town and community situated in the Neath Port Talbot County Borough, Wales. The town had a population of 50,658 in 2011. The community of the parish of Neath had a population of 19,258 in 2011. Historica ...

Herefordshire Constabulary Herefordshire Constabulary was the Home Office police force for the county of Herefordshire, England, until 1967. The headquarters were at Brockington House, Hafod Road, Hereford. The force was formed in 1857. Following the Police Act 1946 the H ...

absorbed Hereford City Police *

Hertfordshire Constabulary Hertfordshire Constabulary is the territorial police force responsible for policing the county of Hertfordshire in England. Its headquarters is in Welwyn Garden City. The current chief constable is Charlie Hall. As of March 2019, the force consi ...

absorbed St Albans City Police *

Kent Constabulary Kent Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing the and approximately 1.8 million inhabitants of Kent, a county in the south east of England. History On 14 January 1857, a 222-strong 'Kent County Constabulary' was formed u ...

absorbed

Canterbury City Police Kent Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing the and approximately 1.8 million inhabitants of Kent, a county in the south east of England. History On 14 January 1857, a 222-strong 'Kent County Constabulary' was formed u ...

Lancashire Constabulary Lancashire Constabulary is the territorial police force responsible for policing the ceremonial county of Lancashire in North West England. The force's headquarters are at Hutton, near the city of Preston. , the force has 3,088 police officer ...

absorbed

Accrington Borough Police Accrington is a town in the Hyndburn borough of Lancashire, England. It lies about east of Blackburn, west of Burnley, east of Preston, north of Manchester and is situated on the culverted River Hyndburn. Commonly abbreviated by locals to "A ...

, Ashton-under-Lyne Borough Police,

Bacup Borough Police Bacup ( , ) is a town in the Rossendale Borough in Lancashire, England, in the South Pennines close to Lancashire's boundaries with West Yorkshire and Greater Manchester. The town is in the Rossendale Valley and the upper Irwell Valley, east of ...

, Clitheroe Borough Police, Lancaster City Police *

Lincolnshire Constabulary Lincolnshire Police is the territorial police force covering the non-metropolitan county of Lincolnshire in the East Midlands of England. Despite the name, the force's area does not include North East Lincolnshire and North Lincolnshire, which ...

absorbed

Boston Borough Police Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the capital city, state capital and List of municipalities in Massachusetts, most populous city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financ ...

Grantham Borough Police Grantham () is a market and industrial town in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England, situated on the banks of the River Witham and bounded to the west by the A1 road (Great Britain), A1 road. It lies some 23 miles (37 km) s ...

Norfolk Constabulary Norfolk Constabulary is the territorial police force responsible for policing Norfolk in East Anglia, England. The force serves a population of 908,000 in a mostly rural area of , including 90 miles of coastline and 16 rivers, including the B ...

absorbed King's Lynn Borough Police *

North Riding of Yorkshire Constabulary The North Riding of Yorkshire Constabulary was the territorial police force for the North Riding of Yorkshire from 1856 to 1968. Formed in 1856 as a result of the County and Borough Police Act 1856 it covered all of the North Riding except for ...

absorbed Scarborough Borough Police *

Nottinghamshire Constabulary Nottinghamshire Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing the shire county of Nottinghamshire and the unitary authority of Nottingham in the East Midlands area of England. The area has a population of just over 1 million. ...

absorbed Newark Borough Police *

Peterborough Combined Police Peterborough Combined Police was the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement in Peterborough, England, from 1947 to 1965. It was created from the amalgamation of the Liberty of Peterborough Constabulary and the Peterborough City ...

formed from Peterborough City Police,

Liberty of Peterborough Constabulary Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom. In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society f ...

Shropshire Constabulary Shropshire Constabulary was the territorial police force responsible for policing rural Shropshire in central England from 1840 until 1967, when it became part of West Mercia Constabulary. History The Shropshre Constabulary was formed along with bo ...

absorbed Shrewsbury Borough Police *

Staffordshire Constabulary Staffordshire Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent in the West Midlands of England. It is made up of eleven Local Policing Teams, whose boundaries are matched to the nine local authori ...

absorbed Newcastle-under-Lyme Police *

Warwickshire Constabulary Warwickshire Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing Warwickshire in England. It is the second smallest territorial police force in England and Wales after the City of London Police, with only 823 (full-time equivalents) ...

absorbed

Leamington Spa Borough Police Leamington may refer to: Places * Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, England * Leamington Hastings, Warwickshire, England * Leamington, Ontario, Canada * Leamington, Utah, US * Leamington, Cambridge, a suburb of Cambridge, New Zealand * Leamington, C ...

Worcestershire Constabulary Worcestershire Constabulary was the territorial police force responsible for policing rural Worcestershire in central England from 1839 until 1967, when it became part of West Mercia Constabulary. History The Worcestershire Constabulary was forme ...

absorbed

Kidderminster Borough Police Kidderminster is a large market and historic minster town and civil parish in Worcestershire, England, south-west of Birmingham and north of Worcester. Located north of the River Stour and east of the River Severn, in the 2011 census, it ha ...

Later amalgamations

The Home Secretary's powers under Section 4 of the Act were used on a number of occasions: *

Hampshire Constabulary The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary is the territorial police force responsible for policing the counties of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight in South East England.Hampshire Constabulary, 2012 Retrieved 27 April 2012 The force area inc ...

was formed in 1948 by a merger of

Hampshire County Constabulary The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary is the territorial police force responsible for policing the counties of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight in South East England.Hampshire Constabulary, 2012 Retrieved 27 April 2012 The force area inc ...

and Isle of Wight County Constabulary. This made permanent the 1943 merger of the two constabularies (as Hampshire Joint Police) under the 1942 Defence Regulations. *

Mid Wales Constabulary Mid-Wales Constabulary was the Home Office police force for the counties of Brecknockshire, Radnorshire and Montgomeryshire, Wales, between 1948 and 1968. The force was created on 1 April 1948 by the amalgamation of Brecknockshire Constabulary, R ...

was formed on 1 April 1948 from Breconshire Constabulary,

Radnorshire Constabulary , HQ = Presteigne , Government = Radnorshire County Council (1889–1974) Radnorshire District Council (1974–1996) , Origin = , Status = historic county, administrative county , Start ...

and Montgomeryshire Constabulary *

Gwynedd Constabulary North Wales Police ( cy, Heddlu Gogledd Cymru) is the territorial police force responsible for policing North Wales. Its headquarters are in Colwyn Bay. , the force has 1,510 police officers, 170 special constables, 182 police community suppor ...

was formed in 1950 from

Anglesey Constabulary Anglesey Constabulary was the Home Office police force for the county of Anglesey, Wales from 1856 until 1950. History The Constabulary was formed in 1856, under the County and Borough Police Act 1856, to replace the existing parish constable ...

Caernarvonshire Constabulary Caernarvonshire Constabulary was the Home Office police force for the county of Caernarvonshire, Wales from 1856 until 1950. History The Constabulary was formed in 1856, under the County and Borough Police Act 1856, to replace the existing par ...

and Merionethshire Constabulary *

Leicestershire and Rutland Constabulary Leicestershire Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing Leicestershire and Rutland in England. Its headquarters are at Enderby, Leicestershire. History Leicestershire Police was formed in 1839. In 1951 it amalgamated wi ...

was formed on 1 April 1951 from

Leicestershire Constabulary Leicestershire Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing Leicestershire and Rutland in England. Its headquarters are at Enderby, Leicestershire. History Leicestershire Police was formed in 1839. In 1951 it amalgamated ...

, Rutland Constabulary *

Carmarthenshire and Cardiganshire Constabulary Carmarthenshire and Cardiganshire Constabulary was the Home Office police force for the counties of Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion, Cardiganshire, Wales. It was created on 1 July 1958 by the amalgamation of Carmarthenshire Constabulary and Cardigan ...

was formed on 1 July 1958 by the merger of

Cardiganshire Constabulary Ceredigion ( , , ) is a county in the west of Wales, corresponding to the historic county of Cardiganshire. During the second half of the first millennium Ceredigion was a minor kingdom. It has been administered as a county since 1282. Cere ...

and Carmarthenshire Constabulary. The amalgamation followed the unfavourable conclusions of an inquiry into the Cardiganshire force.''Police Merger To Proceed - Draft Scheme For Parliament Soon'', The Times, 22 February 1958

References

{{UK legislation United Kingdom Acts of Parliament 1946 Acts of the Parliament of the United Kingdom concerning England and Wales Law enforcement in England and Wales Police legislation in the United Kingdom