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FORCE RESTRUCTURE
KEY MESSAGES |
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November 2nd 2005
The Government is driving restructuring of police forces. Staying as we are is not an option.
The main aim of restructuring is to improve the way the police service prevents, detects or deals with: serious and organised crime; major crime; counter terrorism; major disaster; critical incidents; public order and road policing, particularly where problems impact across force boundaries.
From the three options analysed, the option of Lancashire and Cumbria was clearly favoured by the Protective Service Panel, Executive Panel and stakeholders.
This proposal has now been forwarded to the Home Office who will give feedback in the next fortnight.
The Constabulary remains to be persuaded that the Lancashire + Cumbria + Merseyside and Lancashire + Cumbria + Merseyside + Cheshire options for change are more advantageous. However, the force is not closing its mind as yet and is aware other forces have preferred these alternative options for change.
Lancashire now intends to concentrate on further analysing the Lancashire / Cumbria option and will support Cumbria, Merseyside and Cheshire in the continued analysis of their preferred options.
A Lancashire / Cumbria merger would create a constabulary of 4,846 police officers and 2,625 police staff members covering an area of 4,628 square miles and a population of 1,988,000.
The benefits to this option as Lancashire Constabulary sees it are;
The new force would continue to deliver the best possible policing services locally whilst offering greater public protection over more serious crimes. Lancashire residents should see very little change to their every day policing services with the Constabulary being able to maintain its standards of local and neighbourhood policing; Lancashire has more in common with Cumbria from an identity and geographical point of view than it does with any other NW force; The potential costs of this proposal are much less than those associated with any of the other options*; There is less potential for a drawing away of resources from Lancashire to more urbanised areas than there could be under the other options; There is more scope for efficiency savings and reinvestment into key police services; IT systems can be shared easily, at relatively low cost and in a shorter space of time.
We have been consulting with neighbouring forces, our partners, our Police Authority and our local communities through meetings and surveys. You can continue to share your views by logging on to www.lancspa.gov.uk
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