Our structure

Northumbria Police serves a population of 1.5 million people, and covers an area of more than 2,000 square miles in the North East of England, from the Scottish border down to County Durham, and from the Pennines across to the North East coast.

Northumbria is one of the largest forces in the country and is recognised as one of the top performing in the UK.

Here’s how our personnel are divided up within the various departments of Northumbria Police:

• 3,919 officers

• 2,232 police staff

• 114 police community support officers

Last updated: 1 June 2026

Area Commands

Northumbria Police provides a comprehensive policing service to communities across the North East via six area commands – Newcastle, Gateshead, Northumberland, North Tyneside, Sunderland and South Tyneside.

Each area command has a Chief Superintendent, who operates at a strategic level, working with partners, and is divided into policing sectors which have both response and neighbourhood policing teams.

Departments

Northumbria Police is supported by corporate and specialist departments, providing a frontline service to prevent, detect and reduce crime in the Northumbria area.

Governance

Each police force in the country has seen the introduction of a publically elected Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC). The PCC for Northumbria is Susan Dungworth. Susan is responsible for overseeing the Chief Constable, and holds the Chief Constable to account, to ensure an efficient and effective police service for the area.

The Police and Crime Panel (PCP) scrutinise and support the PCC. The panel is made up of at least ten councillors from the six local councils, along with two co-opted members.