00:00Police and crime commissioners across the northwest are calling on the government to rule out merging local police forces into
00:07a smaller number of regional organisations.
00:10They argue that changing force structures would not, by itself, make communities safer.
00:16The government's also proposing wider changes, including a national police service and enhanced national capabilities to tackle serious and organised
00:24crime, cybercrime and other complex threats.
00:27The commissioners say those national changes should be considered separately from proposals to combine local forces.
00:34They warn that large-scale mergers could be expensive, complicated and disruptive.
00:39In their view, the work involved could take years, drawing leadership and resources away from frontline policing.
00:46They also say that when forces are being asked to do more with less, spending potentially hundreds of millions of
00:52pounds on restructuring would be the wrong priority.
00:55They say communities value local knowledge, established relationships and clear accountability.
01:01They point to existing collaborations across the northwest, which they say allows forces to tackle regional and national threats while
01:08retaining local policing arrangements.
01:11Their statement covers Cheshire, Cumbria, Lancashire, Merseyside and North Wales.
01:15The commissioners say each area faces different challenges and needs policing that responds to local circumstances.
01:21They want investment in officers, police staff, technology, victim services and neighbourhood policing rather than years of structural change.
