Backlash grows over police force mergers
LABOUR faces a growing backlash over plans to merge the 43 police forces in England and Wales into 12 regional ‘ super forces’.
Charles Clarke insists the shake-up is needed because smaller forces cannot tackle threats from terrorism and organised crime.
But critics fear the hurried changes will leave huge new forces increasingly remote from the neighbourhoods they serve, making a nonsense of the Government’s pledge to boost ‘community policing’.
Local Police Authorities are also furious at ministers for refusing to provide the estimated £ 600million needed to implement the mergers.
They accuse the Home Secretary of ‘ bribing’ forces by offering limited cash to those that agree to his plans.
The current structure of 43 forces was set up in 1974 and left huge disparities in size. For example, the Metropolitan force has more than 31,000 officers while Warwickshire has barely 1,000. Many rank- and- file officers are uneasy at the prospect of giant forces.
In the Commons yesterday, MPs demanded more time to examine the plans, which are due to be finalised by March and take effect by 2008. The Tories and Liberal Democrats argue that the reorganisation will break the link between police and communities.
Shadow Home Secretary David Davis said: ‘ Huge forces, where it takes five hours to drive across regions, are not going to be particularly responsive to local communities.’ He warned the true costs of the mergers could be ‘ astronomical’, with council tax payers picking up the bill for years to come.
Mr Davis accused Labour of hastily pushing through reforms ‘ driven by a blind belief in centralisation’. Mr Clarke struggled to make the case for the reforms amid fierce protests from MPs on all sides.
Last night, Bob Jones, chairman of the Association of Police Authorities, said: ‘ There may be some advantages in scale, but there will also be considerable concerns about the loss of that link with local communities and loss of identity.’
The association refuses to co- operate with the reforms until ministers pledge to meet the costs in full.
The Home Office has told forces they may have to borrow money to pay for merging computer systems and headquarters and providing new uniforms and vehicle livery.
Ministers insist the changes will be properly funded.
Policing minister Hazel Blears said the reforms would safeguard community policing. She said the larger forces would no longer have to divert beat bobbies to deal with major incidents.