Forced into it! (From Warrington Guardian)

Forced into it!

CONTROVERSIAL plans to merge Cheshire Police with the Merseyside Force have come under attack from community leaders in Crewe and Nantwich.

This week Home Secretary Charles Clarke outlined the proposals, which would also see a new single force for Wales and the merger of Staffordshire, Warwickshire West Mercia and West Midlands into one force.

The plans are based on options submitted by forces themselves, which have since been looked at by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary.

The Inspectorate had said forces with fewer than 4,000 officers were not equipped to fight sophisticated modern crime.

But Crewe and Nantwich MP Gwyneth Dunwoody said she was not convinced by the idea of a merger in general, saying: "I have great reservations about this.

"I believe that any inefficiencies in the Cheshire Force should be addressed directly and I do not believe the merger will definitely improve that."

Talks were held at the Home Office on Monday on how best to implement the proposals with chief constables and police authority chairs of all the affected forces.

A Cheshire Police spokesman said: "At that meeting the Home Secretary said he would provide further information in relation to future funding.

"In the meantime the police authority will await the further information promised before determining its response."

Police Authority chairman Peter Nurse, who was at the meeting, described the decision as disappointing.

He added: "This is not a solution we favoured because it excludes Manchester and many professional criminals come from Manchester.

"We're now taking stock of the situation and deciding what to do next."

Borough council leader Peter Kent said: "I think there is a need for forces to combine in the face of organised crime which pays no regard at all to our administrative boundaries.

"For that reason, I would have preferred to see one regional organisation for the whole of the North West with regional issues concentrated but with the ability to devolve other things to local divisions.

""I don't know why that has not happened - I hope it's nothing to do with rivalries between Liverpool and Manchester.

"However, if that's not to happen, the Chief Constable seems to think that this is the best alternative and I'm happy to accept that he is in the best position to judge."