14 April 2006
Home Secretary Charles Clarke has made it clear he will press ahead with controversial police force mergers despite widespread opposition.
The second wave of forces singled out for merger had until April 7 to volunteer but most refused to do so. They now have until August 11 to lodge an objection to the process.
Under Clarke's plans, the five forces in the East Midlands will join up to form a single force, as will Surrey and Sussex in the Southeast. Kent, Hampshire and Thames Valley remain as standalone forces.
In the East of England, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk are to merge into one, as will Bedfordshire, Essex and Hertfordshire. In the North, Humberside, North Yorkshire, South Yorkshire and West Yorkshire have also been instructed to amalgamate.
Of these forces, only Norfolk and North Yorkshire chose to do so, but because of a lack of agreement from their neighbours are unable to proceed on a voluntary basis.
In a written statement published on April 11, Clarke said: 'I am satisfied, on the basis of the protective services assessment undertaken by HMIC [the police inspectorate] and our evaluation of the financial and other aspects of the business cases submitted to us in December, that it would be in the interests of the efficiency or effectiveness of policing for [these] forces to merge.'
In Wales, where the country's four forces are to be merged into a single national force, Plaid Cymru has asked the Welsh Assembly's executive to take legal advice on the potential for halting the merger by applying for a judicial review.
Shadow social justice minister Leanne Wood said the merger was 'irrational, ill-timed and insulting'.
PFapr2006
