List of defunct law enforcement agencies in the United Kingdom


Due to various Parliamentary Acts the numbers of law enforcement agencies in the United Kingdom has varied drastically since the Metropolitan Police Act of 1829 set up the first modern police force in London.
There are currently over 60 law enforcement agencies operating in the United Kingdom. See List of law enforcement agencies in the United Kingdom for these.
For former law enforcement agencies, see :Category:Defunct law enforcement agencies of the United Kingdom.

England and Wales police forces

Abolished before 1889

The County Police Act 1840 allowed for borough police forces to voluntarily amalgamate with county constabularies.
The Act, which came into force in 1889 passed control of county constabularies to standing joint committees of county councillors and magistrates, and merged smaller borough police forces with the county police.
NB – Some were re-constituted after the war but then abolished in 1946.
;Non-county borough forces
;County borough forces
;County forces
;Borough forces
;County/combined forces
All territorial police forces in England and Wales were abolished and reconstituted at midnight on 31 March 1974/1 April 1974. This list shows the ones that existed then and their fate.
The partition of Ireland under the terms of the Government of Ireland Act 1920 and the subsequent independence of the Irish Free State in 1922 led to the replacement of the Royal Irish Constabulary with the Garda Síochána and by the Royal Ulster Constabulary. Defunct police forces in Ireland:
Each police burgh had a police force originally, although many merged in the 19th century. The gradual process of amalgamation culminated with the creation of a single Police Service of Scotland in 2013.
;Abolished 1930
The Local Government Act 1929 merged two pairs of county constabularies.
;Abolished 1931–1946
;Abolished under the Police Act 1946:
;Abolished 1950s
;Abolished 1960s
;Abolished 1975
The Local Government Act 1973 created new police forces based on the new regions and island areas from 16 May 1975.
;Abolished 2013
An Act of the Scottish Parliament, the Police and Fire Reform Act 2012, created a single Police Service of Scotland – better known as Police Scotland – and a single Scottish Fire and Rescue Service with effect from 1 April 2013..
From the archives of the British Transport Police:

Churches

Merged to form the Ministry of Defence Police in 1974.

London