Don't merge our police with West Midlands force, says Shropshire MP

Shabana Mahmood has outlined proposals to merger the present 43 police forces serving England and Wales into 12 larger regional forces.

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It is believed that West Mercia Police could be merged with the neighbouring West Midlands force as part of the plan.

But Mark Pritchard, MP for The Wrekin, said the rural and semi-rural nature of much of the West Mercia policing area meant it had very different needs to an urban metropolitan force such as that of the West Midlands.

"People want more local policing, not an unnecessary restructuring that will move local police officers further away from local communities, this is a restructuring too far."

Mr Pritchard was speaking after raising concerns in the House of Commons with Home Secretary Miss Mahmood.

"We all want to see more effective and more efficient policing, but I'm not quite sure this White Paper is going to deliver it," he said.

"The Home Secretary will know that West Midlands Police is a high-performing force, covering Shropshire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire. Can she reassure my constituents that she understands the difference between, for example, West Midlands urban policing, which she obviously oversees and lives within that jurisdiction, and the rural and semi-rural policing of forces like West Mercia?"

Mr Pritchard said that West Midlands Police already oversaw counter-terrorism in the area, a partnership which he said worked well, while the National Crime Agency was also effective in tackling serious crime.

Mr Pritchard also called on the Home Secretary to look at the effectiveness of the 101 non-emergency number.

Miss Mahmood said: "Precisely because I understand the difference, which he raises, between areas such as those he represents and those I represent that I am bringing in this new model for policing. 

"I believe this is the right model to ensure that it does not much matter where people are in the country, whether Shropshire or inner-city Birmingham, because they will always have excellent, high-quality neighbourhood policing, with a local force entirely committed to policing their local area day in, day out, and dealing with all the crimes that we know are tearing at the fabric of our communities," she said.

But Miss Mahmood said there was also a need for a regional force, which could do specialist investigations at scale, so people did not get a different standard of service depending on which part of the country they are lived in.

She added that a National Police Service responsible for serious crime and counter-terrorism would keep the public safe.

"We are the only major country that does not have those two functionalities together, and I think it is the right change to make," she added.