UK plans sweeping overhaul of policing amid surge in online crimes

The UK Home Office unveiled plans to create a National Police Service—absorbing the National Crime Agency and centralizing cybercrime, fraud, and counterterrorism—arguing that crime is increasingly digital (with ~90% having a digital element and fraud at ~44% of offenses). The multi-year transition will standardize command and IT, expand national coordination, invest £115m in a National Centre for AI in Policing, and increase use of AI and facial recognition to speed investigations and ease digital forensics backlogs (~20,000 devices), alongside new legislation and oversight for these technologies and a 2026 review to shape consolidation.