Home secretary Shabana Mahmood described the move as the ‘most significant reforms to policing in 200 years’ to tackle terrorism, fraud and organised crime, with a white paper on full details yet to be released and a three-month consultation planned.

The new nationwide police force will be called the National Police Service (NPS). So far limited details are available but the home secretary said the new agency would be the ‘equivalent of a UK FBI’ (Federal Bureau of Intelligence).

Five disparate organisations, some run by local police forces currently, will be merged into a single body. This includes the National Crime Agency (NCA), Counter Terrorism Policing, currently under the Met in London, Regional Organised Crime Units, currently spread across the country and responsible for investigating localised fraud, through to control of police helicopters, under the remit of West Yorkshire Police at the moment, and National Road Policing, under Sussex Police. But it is not clear whether the Serious Fraud Office will be folded into the new organisation.