Plans to create police 'mega forces' in the East Midlands have been dubbed a "monstrous power-grab" by Leicestershire's police leaders.

The concerns have been raised after Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood laid out the Labour government's plans to slash the number of police forces across the UK, including the creation of a National Police Service (NPS).

She said the changes were being made after claiming the current policing model in England and Wales was "broken".

Ms Mahmood claims that the new plans will lead to a "British FBI" which will help cut down on international crime. The proposals could see the current 43 regional forces cut down to as few as 12.

A review will see how many forces will need to be cut, with some planned to take place by 2029.

However, Leicestershire police chiefs have weighed in on the planned mergers. Leicestershire's Police and Crime Commissioner, Rupert Matthews, who will see his own role axed as part of other measures from the government, called it a "power-grab" that will "leave towns and villages hopelessly exposed to crime".

He added: "These plans place too much power in the hands of too few people. Real policing works when local officers are on the beat, accountable to local communities, and trusted to respond to local problems. This reform is proposing the very opposite.

"The Home Secretary is effectively throwing the baby out with the bathwater, with an unproven plan that will cost an absolute fortune to implement.

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"It's quite clear that the government believes announcing change is the same as delivering it.

"It will be interesting to see what the promised consultation looks like, and who is consulted, because I think the public want to keep their local police. Fewer forces do not mean better policing."

Meanwhile, Leicestershire Police's Temporary Chief Constable David Sandall welcomed discussions for police reform but said he would push for the "need for our local officers to deal with crime locally".

He said: "These changes need to be funded and not add additional financial constraints on local force budgets which are already stretched and facing future challenges.

"It is important to remember that these things will take a considerable investment, and the timeline now suggests that changes will not come into play until the end of the next parliament which is in eight years' time.

"As a force, we welcome the discussions for police reform. This work aims to drive improvements in local policing, promote greater efficiency and make better use of data and cutting-edge technology, investing in crime prevention and reducing bureaucracy to free up time for forces to focus on the crimes that matter to the public."

Leicestershire Police Federation Chair Andy Spence called the current system "broken" and feared that the reforms were "creating another level of bureaucracy".

He added: "We're already struggling with budgets, and something has to give. What we don't want to see happen is that, when that budget gets stretched, there are existing things that are scrapped, or there are jobs that are scrapped.

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"Officers are already pulled off mandatory training to plug gaps; we're already required to work rest days; we're already required to carry really unsafe workloads. Those are the issues that need fixing. Rather than creating another level of bureaucracy – fix a broken system.

"The office of constable is absolutely sacred, it's one that we have all signed up to. We all want to work fairly, we all want to do our very best, but we are hindered by a broken system."