Territorial Police Force - United Kingdom

United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom (UK) the phrase is gaining increased official (but not yet statutory) use to describe the collection of forces responsible for general policing in areas defined with respect to local government areas. The phrase "Home Office Police" is commonly used but this is often inaccurate or inadequate as the words naturally exclude forces outside England and Wales, but include some special police forces over which the Home Secretary has some power.

The police forces referred to as "territorial" are those whose police areas are defined by:

• Police Act 1996 – England and Wales, later legislation matched the Metropolitan Police District to the boundary of Greater London
• Police (Scotland) Act 1967 – Scotland
• Police (Northern Ireland) Act 2000 – Northern Ireland (renaming the Royal Ulster Constabulary the Police Service of Northern Ireland without changing the area served)

Members of territorial police forces have jurisdiction in one of the three distinct legal systems of the United Kingdom - either England and Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland. A police officer of one of the three legal systems has all the powers of a constable throughout their own legal system but limited powers in the other two legal systems. Certain exceptions where full police powers cross the border with the officer are when officers are providing planned support to another force such as the G8 Conference in Scotland in 2005, officers of the Metropolitan Police who are on protection duties anywhere in the United Kingdom and when taking a person to or from a prison.