Little support for police merger plans in Herefordshire and Worcestershire
West Mercia's Police and Crime Commissioner has held a public consultation
The Police and Crime Commissioner for West Mercia says residents of Herefordshire and Worcestershire largely do not support a proposed merger of police forces in England and Wales.
The current amount of 43 forces could be cut to just 12 - but this has not been included in the government's manifesto.
John Campion has been holding a three-month public consultation across the area, plus Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin.
Out of 3,375 respondents, 57% said they opposed the government's plans to reduce the existing number of forces from 43 to 12.
56% were unclear about why these changes have been proposed.
22% said they supported the idea of a merger, while 21% felt they were unsure.
39% did not feel there would be any benefits arising from such changes.
However, some felt potential plus points could include sharing resources, and tackling complex crime more effectively.
The figures revealed have prompted Mr Campion to warn the government it 'risks undermining public trust in policing' without discussing its plans thoroughly with the public.
In a letter to the Home Secretary, he says major reforms of public services "must be done with the public, not to them."
He added: "Public confidence in policing has never been more important.
"Policing belongs to the people it serves, and they should have a meaningful say in its future.
“This consultation shows that communities are not being given the full picture.
"People have limited information about a major change that wasn’t in the government’s manifesto and hasn’t been publicly explained.
“These findings show the government’s message isn’t landing locally.
"People in West Mercia are unclear, unconvinced and there is no clear mandate for the proposals."
The government has previously said its plans will save money, and boost crime-fighting efforts.