Fear over policing reforms
Fears have been raised that Staffordshire Police could be merged with forces in the West Midlands or Greater Manchester
Fears have been raised that Staffordshire Police could be merged with forces in the West Midlands or Greater Manchester under government plans to reform policing in England and Wales. Now councillors in the Moorlands are set to debate a motion urging the Government to rethink the plans.
In January Ministers announced a series of major policing reforms including expanding the use of artificial intelligence and facial recognition technology, a new FBI style police force and the merging of 43 police forces in England and Wales to just 12.
The changes, announced on 26 January, represent the largest change to policing since the police service was founded two centuries ago. It is hoped the changes will result in money being saved and used to fight crime.
The Government has not given a timeline of when the changes will be implemented but early estimates suggested it could be many years away, with some suggesting 2034.
Now Councillor Joe Porter has submitted a motion to council saying the policy would be ‘disastrous’ for policing and calls on the council to voice its opposition to the move.
The motion states: “Staffordshire Moorlands District Council strongly opposes the Labour Government’s plans to merge police forces into 12 mega forces across England and Wales. Staffordshire Police will almost certainly be pulled into either the West Midlands or Greater Manchester, which would result in resources rarely leaving the larger cities and rural areas being left behind.
“Reducing down to 12 police forces will be disastrous for policing across the country. There is no evidence that ripping up local police forces will cut crime or improve performance.
“Top-down reorganisation risks undermining efforts to fight crime, inevitably leading to centralised control that will hit towns and villages across the country hardest. The biggest force, the Met, has the lowest crime solving rates and falling police numbers. Big is not necessarily better.”
Councillors at Staffordshire Moorlands District Council are set to meet next week on Wednesday 25 February. The meeting will also consider the district’s budget and council tax rates, alongside Councillor Porter’s policing motion.