HALT MERGER RUSH - POLICE PLEA

Following an eleven week review of possible restructuring options ordered by the Home Secretary in October, the Authority and the Force are under instruction to submit their preference by December 23.

In a report to the Authority meeting in Lewes next Thursday (December 15) SPA chairman, Peter Jones and chief constable, Ken Jones advise members that the headlong rush into structural reorganisation should be halted.

They recommend that consultation should take place on how a robust and defensible process should be established to properly review the response to the HMIC report 'Closing the Gap'.

This report concluded that the present 43 force structure was no longer 'fit for purpose' in terms of its capacity to deal with protective services, known as Level 2 policing and encompassing counter-terrorism and extremism, strategic roads policing, public order and other major crime.

While Sussex is not opposed to change, the impossibility of performing the task in less than three months has become clear to all those involved in the process.

The first stage of the analysis resulted in a range of options involving the merger of Sussex with the Hampshire, Kent and Surrey forces in a number of scenarios from all four to just two.

However, the next stage, to present business cases for the options, revealed the inadequacy of the methodology pursued by the Home Office.

In particular, no account has been taken of the financial circumstances of amalgamating forces. Because of the way that police authorities are funded by Government, Sussex and Surrey have been under-funded compared to the majority of other forces for many years.

To bring everyone into line, the amalgamation of Sussex with Kent and Surrey would result in a 12% increase in police council tax to Sussex tax payers and nearly 20% in the case of a Sussex/Surrey merger.

At the annual conference of the Association of Police Authorities in Belfast last month, Peter Jones implored Home Office minister, Hazel Blears, to step back and allow the full process of consultation to take place.

Speaking of the recommendation to the Authority, he said: "In the very short timescale available to us we have consulted with a wide cross section of Sussex people including MPs, local authorities, criminal justice, health and other partners, staff associations and the public generally. It is fair to say that there is a significant lack of enthusiasm for change; indeed, there is widespread concern that despite assurances from Government, the creation of larger police forces will have a detrimental effect on local policing and lead to a more remote police service."

He continued: "Great support has been expressed for the way in which Sussex has been among the leaders in establishing neighbourhood policing teams that align with local authority and community boundaries and consultees agree that it is vital that these connections are maintained. A new review should focus on the possibility of the required enhancement of protective services being achieved as the result of genuinely voluntary amalgamations or by federal arrangements.

"Whatever proposals emerge from this process should be subject to consultation and full debate in both Houses of Parliament. In the meantime, given the lack of information and agreement on a range of key issues, I will be recommending to the members of the Authority that we are unable to identify a preferred option among those suggested by the Home Office and are therefore not in a position to agree to the request from the Home Secretary to amalgamate Sussex with any other force."

The meeting of the Sussex Police Authority takes place at County Hall, Lewes on Thursday, December 15, commencing at 2pm.