A SURPRISE announcement on Monday by Home Secretary John Reid, that more time is needed for consultations over police authority mergers, has given hope to campaigners that the merger of Surrey and Sussex police will now be quietly dropped. But while South West Surrey MP Jeremy Hunt said he hoped that the proposal is effectively being "kicked into the long grass", the Surrey Police Authority has not dropped its guard, renewing its call for Surrey residents to make their voices heard during the now extended objection period. John Reid, who has inherited the task of police force restructuring begun by his predecessor, Charles Clarke, told MPs during Commons questions that he still believes mergers are the right way forward. However, he announced that he does not propose to lay any orders for enforced police force mergers before parliament's summer recess, which begins on July 25. The period for formal objections, which would have expired on July 2 for some forces and August 10 for others, including Surrey and Sussex, has been extended, although a new deadline has not yet been given. Mr Reid told the Commons that the issues merited "further and slower discussion". Although he couldn't promise a referendum, he did promise "discussion, dialogue and listening throughout". In a letter to Jeremy Hunt following his announcement, the Home Secretary warned: "What is quite clear is that the status quo is not an option. The HMIC report 'Closing the Gap' clearly identified weaknesses in the quality of provision of protective services (that is, the most serious types of crime including organised crime and terrorism) in large parts of the country. "It is not acceptable that some existing forces are assessed to be ill-equipped to deal with a major terrorist or domestic incident in their area. "We need to ensure that police office structures are capable of meeting the challenges of today while still providing dedicated local policing. It is clear that the approach which we are following commands the support of most chief constables. "I remain convinced, as do HMIC, that the best way to address these weaknesses is through the creation of strategic police forces which will have both the resilience to cope with this kind of crime, but will still remain committed to local neighbourhood policing." Mr Reid expressed a wish to work constructively with the policing community to try to reach a consensus on issues such as cost, council tax and local accountability, as well as on the timing of mergers. Mr Hunt has claimed "partial victory" for the campaign to stop the merger. John Reid has stated that he doesn't want discussions to be "constrained by an unnecessarily tight timetable" and Mr Hunt said that the lack of any end date mentioned has led campaigners to hope that the merger will be quietly dropped. The MP added: "This merger was opposed by me, all Surrey MPs and Surrey Police itself because we all want more local policing, with police forces closer and not more distant from the communities they serve. "With all the other problems at the Home Office, the government is clearly having second thoughts. We need to keep the pressure up to make sure they scrap the plans in their entirety." The Home Secretary's statement has been welcomed by the Association of Police Authorities and, with severe reservations, by the Surrey Police Authority. The authority commented: "Surrey Policy Authority welcomes the news that the Home Secretary has announced he will postpone laying any legal orders to merge until after the summer recess for 'tier one' forces. "Surrey is included in the 'tier two' forces, with a start date of April 2008. "The Home Secretary has also indicated that he believes that merger remains the ultimate direction of travel. "We remain concerned that there are serious funding issues which still need to be resolved to ensure Surrey residents do not pick up the cost of any restructuring. We encourage all Surrey residents to make their voices heard during this objection period to encure that the Home Secretary listens to our concerns and acts upon them." Nick Skellett, the leader of Surrey County Council, has also urged the public to make its opposition to the merger loud and clear. Mr Skellet pointed out: "The Home Office's and Prime Minister's Strategy Unit's own research concluded that 'the case for mergers is far from self-evident', and the latest police performance assessment league tables show that overall smaller forces do better. "Indeed Surrey's is one of the top three performing police forces, both in terms of local policing and dealing with major crime. "Surrey has the lowest level of crime in the country, despite having to deal with crime from London (four out of 10 of those arrested for significant offences in the county come from the capital) even though the police receive only rural levels of government grant. "Sussex has higher levels of crime, and it is probable that a merger would lead to police officers being transferred out of Surrey, leaving the county less well protected against anti-social behaviour and crime. "Moreover, the merger would cost some £27 million, and not address the fundamental underfunding of the Surrey Police. It is likely that Surrey council taxpayers would pay even more for what could well be a lesser service." Mr Skellett said that Surrey County Council works closely with the Surrey Police Authority and police force, for instance jointly funding and staffing the Surrey Together teams that seek to tackle and prevent anti-social behaviour. "The county council strongly supports keeping the Surrey Police, and instead of spending taxpayers' money on a merger, the council believes the government should grant-aid the Surrey Police at the level of the neighbouring forces, so that the money goes on modernising the force and fighting crime. " Mr Skellett urged those a view on the future of the Surrey Police to write to the Rt Hon John Reid, MP, Home Secretary, Home Office, 2 Marsham Street, London, SW1P 4DF. "Please copy your letter to your local MP, and to the Surrey Police Authority, Police Headquarters, Mount Browne, Sandy Lane, Guildford, Surrey, GU3 1HG, (or email: [email protected]">[email protected]) so they are aware of your views," he added.
