Subscribe to trusted local news
If you are accessing this story via Facebook but you are a subscriber then you will be unable to access the story. Facebook wants you to stay and read in the app and your login details are not shared with Facebook. If you experience problems with accessing the news but have subscribed, please contact subscriptions@thestrayferret.co.uk. In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever. By subscribing, you can help us get the story right.
- Subscription costs less than £1 a week with an annual plan.
Already a subscriber? Log in here.
08
Jul
Plan for Yorkshire-wide police force ‘not appropriate’, says council leader
A plan to merge police forces in Yorkshire would not be “appropriate”, according to the leader of North Yorkshire Council.
The government is carrying out a review of the country’s 43 police forces, which could see some of them merge.
North Yorkshire Police could be amalgamated with the three other Yorkshire forces as part of what the government has called “the largest reforms to policing since forces were professionalised two centuries ago”.
However, Cllr Carl Les, Conservative leader of the council, said a move to a wider region force would see rural areas face “disproportionate competition for resources” from urban areas.
In a statement due before a full council meeting on July 15, he said:
Whilst we recognise the argument that larger police forces could benefit from pooled resources, we do not believe this would adequately serve the needs of our rural communities alongside larger metropolitan areas. There is a risk that rural areas would face disproportionate competition for resources against larger urban centres, where demand is often more visible and prioritised.
Although consistency in service outcomes and standards is important, a one-size-fits-all approach is neither practical nor appropriate.
Mayor David Skaith and deputy mayor Jo Coles.
The move comes as Jo Coles, Labour deputy mayor for policing in York and North Yorkshire, previously welcomed the review into police forces.
She said said she and her Labour colleague, mayor David Skaith, welcomed the review for presenting an opportunity to “strengthen policing, make better use of public resources and support economic growth across our regions”.
She said:
For us in York and North Yorkshire, but especially for our rural communities, it's vital changes benefit our region. North Yorkshire Police already delivers effective policing across an area five times the size that of the Metropolitan Police, albeit with both less crime and significantly less police officers.
Rural areas do not benefit from the same economies of scale as urban areas and it's vital reforms recognise this in order to deliver fair and effective policing for all.
Yorkshire mega-force
A Yorkshire mega-force would include North Yorkshire Police, South Yorkshire Police, West Yorkshire Police and Humberside Police.
Going on current numbers, that would result in a force with more than 13,000 officers – more than a combined Merseyside and Greater Manchester force would have (12,300). London’s Metropolitan Police has more than 34,000.
But the changes will entail some major restructuring and changes to working practices, so are only expected to come into force by the end of the next parliament, around 2034.
The proposals, which are detailed in a White Paper, From local to national: a new model for policing, are designed to save money and improve crime-fighting efforts. Ministers say the current model is bureaucratic and wastes money, as each force currently runs its own headquarters, management teams and backroom staff.
They also believe smaller forces are not well enough equipped to deal with serious crime and major incidents. They say mega-forces could focus on tackling serious and organised crime, as well as complex cases involving murder and drug supply.
2