Eight in ten of the 3,430 residents who answered the Commissioner's survey oppose merging Surrey Police. The Government's review still has not named a number.

Eight in ten Surrey residents who answered the Police and Crime Commissioner’s survey said the county’s police force should not be merged with its neighbours.

Lisa Townsend published the results on 1 September. The survey ran from June and drew 3,430 completed responses, with more than 2,000 people leaving written comments.

The headline split:

  • 80% said no to merging Surrey Police with other forces
  • 16% said yes
  • 4% were unsure

A striking finding sits underneath that. 44% of respondents did not know the Government was considering force mergers at all until the survey asked them.

What people said they were worried about

Respondents were asked what they saw as the main risk of a merger. Their answers were about proximity rather than money:

  • 42% said a reduced focus on local policing priorities
  • 32% said slower response times
  • 11% said weaker accountability
  • 10% said less officer visibility

Asked about the potential benefits, most had no view. 53% said they did not know what the benefits might be. Of those who did, 21% pointed to savings or the scope to reinvest, and 16% to stronger specialist capabilities.

Chart of the Surrey Police and Crime Commissioner's survey: 80 per cent oppose a merger, 16 per cent support one, 4 per cent unsure. Main risks cited: reduced focus on local priorities 42 per cent, slower response times 32 per cent, weaker accountability 11 per cent, less officer visibility 10 per cent.

Townsend said the comments sent “a clear message”, and added: “hands off our local police force!”

She said she would share the results with those making the decisions on force mergers. A report is expected in the autumn.

The plan people are being asked about does not exist yet

This is the part worth understanding before the argument gets any louder.

The Home Office published its policing white paper, From local to national: a new model for policing, on 26 January 2026. On force numbers it commits only to launching “a review into dramatically reducing the number of police forces in England and Wales”.

It does not name a target number of forces. It does not say which forces would join which. No merger map has been published.

The Commissioner’s own survey material notes that Surrey Police could end up merged with Sussex, Thames Valley, Kent or Hampshire. That is a description of the neighbours, not a Government proposal.

The white paper does set out other changes in firmer terms:

  • a new National Police Service, bringing the National Crime Agency, Counter Terrorism Policing, the regional organised crime units, police helicopters and national roads policing under one organisation
  • a national police commissioner, described as the country’s most senior police officer
  • named, contactable officers for every council ward in England and Wales

That last commitment is the awkward one to set against merger fears. The white paper promises more named local officers at the same time as it opens the door to much larger forces.

What this means for Reigate and Banstead

Surrey Police is the force that answers calls in Reigate, Redhill, Banstead, Horley and Tadworth, so any merger decision lands here whatever shape it takes.

The borough already knows what an estate decision feels like. Reigate Police Station closed in 2023 after the concrete type RAAC was found in it, and local teams moved to a temporary base at Wray Park. In December 2025 the Commissioner announced a replacement at Perrywood Business Park on Honeycrock Lane in Salfords, to be paid for by selling the old Reigate station, alongside a new Eastern Division headquarters at Leatherhead.

That announcement said the Salfords base would open during 2026. We could not confirm today whether it has opened: no opening date has been published by the Commissioner’s office since December, and we found nothing more recent on the record. We will update this page when there is one.

What it means for you

Nothing changes about who polices your street today. There is no merger, no timetable and no map.

What has happened is that 3,430 Surrey residents have put an unusually clear number on the table, and the Commissioner is taking it to the Home Office in the autumn. If you want your view counted in the next round, the Commissioner’s office is the place it will be collected, and the Surrey PCC website publishes consultations as they open.

One caveat on the 80%. This was a self-selecting survey, not a representative poll: people who feel strongly are the people who answer. That does not make the number meaningless, but it measures the strength of the objection rather than the share of the county that holds it.

Sources