24 March 2006
Police forces reacted with a mixture of delight and dismay after Home Secretary Charles Clarke set out merger plans for three more English regions this week.
In a written statement to MPs, Clarke announced that he wanted to see the five forces in the East Midlands region merge into a single strategic force to boost the service's ability to tackle serious threats to public safety.
The East of England would be served by two strategic forces: Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk, and Bedfordshire, Essex and Hertfordshire. In the Southeast, Surrey and Sussex would be expected to merge into a single force, while Hampshire, Kent and Thames Valley could remain as 'stand-alone' forces.
Clarke met with the chief constables and authority chairs concerned on March 20 and all sides praised the meeting as constructive. The police authorities have until April 7 to decide whether to merge voluntarily or be instructed to do so.
Liz Campbell, chair of Surrey Police Authority, which had wanted to remain separate, said: 'While we have some concerns over a merger, we accept that Parliament has the final say in requiring us to merge, and we will continue to do our best to deliver a solution that secures a good future for Surrey.'
She added that any merger had to be properly funded so the financial burden did not fall on local council tax payers.
Peter Jones, Campbell's opposite number at Sussex Police Authority, also queried whether a merger was the best option. 'Despite our repeated requests, the key questions on how this is to be paid for, what the implications are for staff and how any new force will be held to account locally remain unanswered,' he said.
Elsewhere, there was an attitude of resignation. David Coleman, chief constable of Derbyshire Constabulary, said: 'My main concern is to move forward and prepare the organisation for what seems like the inevitable and help to progress into a new era as smoothly as possible.'
The forces that had managed to persuade Clarke to let them remain as they are expressed their delight at the decision.
Kent chief constable Michael Fuller said: 'The home secretary has clearly recognised our ability to provide what are termed as protective services, which include dealing with major and organised crime, counter terrorism and roads policing – something we have demonstrated in recent weeks with our response to the £53m Securitas robbery in Tonbridge.'
Decisions on the configuration of strategic forces to serve the Yorkshire and Humber and Southwest regions have yet to be made.
New look policing: Clarke's new plans
East Midlands
One strategic force: merger of Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire and Nottinghamshire
South East
Four strategic forces: merger of Surrey and Sussex; Hampshire, Kent and Thames Valley reconfigured as strategic forces
East
Two strategic forces: merger of Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk; merger of Bedfordshire, Essex and Hertfordshire
Source: Home Office
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