Police Chiefs Agree That Smaller Forces Should Be Cut Or Merged

Police chiefs in England and Wales have told ministers that the number of forces should be cut to end "the postcode lottery for victims of crime", the Guardian has learned.

- Vikram Dodd

They believe a reduction from the current 43 forces would save money, cut overheads and boost efforts to tackle crime.

Law enforcement leaders told the home secretary, Yvette Cooper, last month at a roundtable on police reform that they were in agreement about the need for the change.

Cooper has already backed other police reforms, such as setting up a national centre for policing, and believes the way policing across England and Wales is organised is out of date. But a lack of money threatens to delay changes and some smaller forces may object.

One source said any changes could start with smaller forces merging or being abolished.

In the west, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire could merge, in the Midlands Warwickshire could join with the West Mercia force or be absorbed by the much bigger West Midlands force. In the east the Norfolk and Suffolk forces could merge.

Further reforms could merge the West Yorkshire, North Yorkshire and South Yorkshire forces to create one force covering the county.