List of law enforcement agencies in the United Kingdom, Crown Dependencies and British Overseas Territories

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Policing in the United Kingdom comes from several different kinds of forces. The main idea is simple: most policing is done by local or territorial police forces, but there are also national and specialist forces for specific duties, and military-style police for the armed forces.

Territorial police forces (local policing)
- Most policing in England and Wales is done by local police forces that cover defined areas. In Scotland, policing is done by Police Scotland, which covers the whole country. In Northern Ireland, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) handles policing there.
- London is policed by two forces: the Metropolitan Police Service for Greater London and the City of London Police for the City of London.
- Each force is led by a chief officer and is independent in how it runs its operations, though they receive government funding.
- Police powers come from law, and officers can arrest and detain people within their area. Since 2007, volunteer “Special Constables” in England and Wales also have full police powers across those two countries.
- In some cases, officers from one area can assist others in emergencies or special situations.

National and specialist forces (policing specific areas)
- Some forces police specific kinds of infrastructure or activities across the country. The main examples are:
- British Transport Police (railways and related infrastructure)
- Ministry of Defence Police (military bases and defence sites)
- Civil Nuclear Constabulary (nuclear facilities and related sites)
- There are also port police (police for harbours and ships) and, in the past, parks police and cathedral police. Today, most of these have more limited roles and often rely on local territorial forces for major crimes.
- The service police of the armed forces (military police) police service members and some civilian personnel. They operate under military law rather than ordinary civilian police powers.
- Other groups, such as local government staff or security personnel, may have limited enforcement powers under specific schemes, but these are not full police forces.

Parks, special constables, and other occasional police
- Some local areas had parks police to enforce park byelaws, especially in the past. Today, those roles, where they still exist, are usually limited and tied to local authority powers.
- Cathedral constables and other small, specialist constabularies still exist in some places to keep order in specific buildings or sites. Their powers are limited to those particular areas.

Crown Dependencies and British Overseas Territories
- The Crown Dependencies (the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man) are self-governing but rely on the UK for defence and security. They have their own police services.
- The British Overseas Territories (islands and other territories around the world) mostly have their own police forces under local governors. The UK government remains responsible for major matters like defence and security, and police in these territories often work closely with the UK when needed.
- In practice, law enforcement in these territories mirrors the UK system to a large extent, with local police handling day-to-day policing and the governor or local government overseeing the forces.

In short
- Most day-to-day policing is done by local territorial police forces in England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.
- Some national or specialist forces cover specific types of crime or infrastructure across the country.
- The armed forces have their own service police, separate from civilian police.
- Crown Dependencies and British Overseas Territories have their own police services, with the UK responsible for defence and wider security.