APPENDIX 2


We want to hear your views on

the proposed Police Force Restructure

Please return this feedback form to the address overleaf no later than FRIDAY 2 DECEMBER 2005

The Home Secretary proposes to reduce the number of police forces in England and Wales to achieve a minimum strength in each force of 4,000 officers. We have now been asked to look further at three options for force mergers in the Eastern Region. They are:

  • A regional force made up of the six police forces
  • An east/west divide of the six forces, which would put Hertfordshire with Beds and Cambs, and create a second force of Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk.
  • A north/south divide of the six forces, which means Hertfordshire would merge with Beds and Essex and put Cambs, Norfolk and Suffolk together as the second force.

Please use this form to let us have your comments on each of the three options. The rationale for the changes is shown in the HMIC report ‘Closing the Gap’ which is available on the Home Office website:

Please continue on a separate sheet if necessary.

OPTION ONE: REGIONAL FORCE (Beds, Cambs, Essex, Herts, Norfolk and Suffolk)

Q.1

/ Will the creation of a Regional Force affect you and, if so, how?
A regional force would not only mean a loss of co-terminosity but would feel exceptionally remote. It would be difficult for a regional force to relate to the County Council if it is geared up to operate strategically at regional level and locally at BCU level. The benefits of merger in terms of economy of scale may actually diminish if the force is too large as effective operation may require substantial structures between force and region in order to maintain strategic relationships with local authorities.
The Civil Contingencies Act 2004 defines the police boundaries as the area within which a Local Resilience Forum (LRF) will operate. The LRFs are intended to be the principal mechanism for multi-agency co-operation at a local level.
Q.2 / Are there any potential problems or advantages for you, your organisation or the people you represent that you can foresee in having a single Regional Force?
The County Council has a concern that there might be a loss of focus on issues or particular concern in Hertfordshire and that prioritisation across the larger force might leave some of our priority areas under-resourced. There will also be increasing difficulty in explaining the link between the police precept on council tax and local issues/performance.
One LRF for the whole of the region would risk Hertfordshire losing the excellent multi-agency co-operation which has served the county well in the past. The legislation also makes provision for a Regional Resilience Forum which has been in existence for the last year. Our experience of this forum as an effective mechanism for coordinated multi-agency planning has not been very encouraging and has highlighted the difficulties of undertaking this task on the basis of such a large and diverse geographical area.
Were Hertfordshire to be subsumed into a regional risk assessment process from which emergency planning priorities were determined, it might be the case that local concerns might be overlooked in preference to other more significant risks elsewhere in the region. Coastal flooding risk for example, might be regarded as a more important issue than local fluvial flooding, which nevertheless is still an important concern for Hertfordshire.

Q.3

/ How do you see the creation of a Regional Force affecting partnership working in the county?
It seems inevitable that partnership working between the County Council and the police will be more difficult with a larger force. We are in the process of developing a Local Area Agreement, are establishing Children’s Trust arrangements and have developed good working arrangements between the Police Community Safety Unit and the Crime & Drugs Strategy Unit with plans to develop this further. We have an LPSA target on Road Safety Education and Training. Police involvement in all of these areas is critical and there is a danger that force mergers will take the focus off this critical local work. In addition to this strategic work it is essential that good relationships are maintained at the frontline and that frontline capacity and effective community policing are not reduced in the name of efficiency. A merged force will also have to ensure that there is consistency in terms of policy regarding traffic issues and there is concern that an area which we have already struggled to agree as a priority may lose further focus in a wider area.
Careful consideration will need to be given to how the full range of partnership activities requiring police engagement will be effectively maintained in a larger merged force.
A regional force would make it more difficult to develop the important relationships at a both a senior / chief officer level and a more “tactical” level which are the bedrock of sound emergency planning.
The basic Command Unit is too small an area within which to progress effective and efficient multi-agency emergency planning activity.
Joint working between Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service and the Police may be compromised by a move to a wider force. Excellent Gold Command arrangements could be at risk.
OPTION TWO: TWO FORCES DIVIDED EAST/WEST (Beds/Cambs/Herts and Essex/Norfolk/Suffolk)

Q.1

/ Will the creation of two East/West Forces affect you and, if so, how?
An option of a Beds/Cambs/Herts Force would stillwould mean that Hertfordshire loses the co-terminosity with its police force, and that at a time when one of our other major partners, the NHS, has recognized the benefits of co-terminus boundaries. The County Council has some concerns at the inevitable disruption caused by structural change and the potential impact on performance. A larger force will appear more remote to people in Hertfordshire even if Basic Command Units remain as they are. People tend to identify with the town or county they live in and not so much with other geographical ‘patches’. The effective implementation of new neighbourhood policing arrangements will be essential to maintaining and improving the links between local people and the police.
The Civil Contingencies Act 2004 defines the police boundaries as the area within which a Local Resilience Forum (LRF) will operate. The LRFs are intended to be the principal mechanism for multi-agency co-operation at a local level. The LRF would thus be expanded to include Beds and Cambs which would make effective multi-agency planning more complicated and harder to achieve than is the case at present – although easier than it would be on a regional basis.
Q.2 / Are there any potential problems or advantages for you, your organisation or the people you represent that you can forsee in having a two forces divided east and west?
The County Council has a concern that there might be a loss of focus on issues of particular concern in Hertfordshire and that prioritisation across the larger force might leave some of our priority areas under-resourced. There will also be increasing difficulty in explaining the link between the police precept on council tax and local issues/performance.

Q.3

/ How do you see the creation of two east/west forces affecting partnership working in the county?
It seems inevitable that partnership working between the County Council and the police will be more difficult with a larger force. We are in the process of developing a Local Area Agreement, are establishing Children’s Trust arrangements and have developed good working arrangements between the Police Community Safety Unit and the Crime & Drugs Strategy Unit with plans to develop this further. We have an LPSA target on Road Safety Education and Training. Police involvement in all of these areas is critical and there is a danger that force mergers will take the focus off this critical local work. In addition to this strategic work it is essential that good relationships are maintained at the frontline and that frontline capacity and effective community policing are not reduced in the name of efficiency. A merged force will also have to ensure that there is consistency in terms of policy regarding traffic issues and there is concern that an area which we have already struggled to agree as a priority may lose further focus in a wider area.
Careful consideration will need to be given to how the full range of partnership activities requiring police engagement will be effectively maintained in a larger merged force.
A “3 county” police force would make it more difficult to develop the important relationships at a both a senior / chief officer level and a more “tactical” level which are the bedrock of sound emergency planning – although less difficult than it would be on a regional basis.
Joint working between Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service and the Police may be compromised by a move to a wider force. Excellent Gold Command arrangements could be at risk.
OPTION THREE: TWO FORCES DIVIDED NORTH/SOUTH (Beds/Herts/Essex and Cambs/Norfolk/Suffolk)

Q.1

/ Will the creation of two north/south forces affect you and, if so, how?
An option of a Beds/Herts/Essex Force would still would mean that Hertfordshire loses the co-terminosity with its police force, and that at a time when one of our other major partners, the NHS, has recognized the benefits of co-terminus boundaries. The County Council has some concerns at the inevitable disruption caused by structural change and the potential impact on performance. A larger force will appear more remote to people in Hertfordshire even if Basic Command Units remain as they are. People tend to identify with the town or county they live in and not so much with other geographical ‘patches’. The effective implementation of new neighbourhood policing arrangements will be essential to maintaining and improving the links between local people and the police.
The Civil Contingencies Act 2004 defines the police boundaries as the area within which a Local Resilience Forum (LRF) will operate. The LRFs are intended to be the principal mechanism for multi-agency co-operation at a local level. The LRF would thus be expanded to include Essex and Bedfordshire which would make effective multi-agency planning more complicated and harder to achieve than is the case at present – although easier than it would be on a regional basis.
Q.2 / Are there any potential problems or advantages for you, your organisation or the people you represent that you can foresee in having two forces divided north and south?
The County Council has a concern that there might be a loss of focus on issues or particular concern in Hertfordshire and that prioritisation across the larger force might leave some of our priority areas under-resourced. There will also be increasing difficulty in explaining the link between the police precept on council tax and local issues/performance.
Q.3 / How do you see the creation of two north/south forces affecting partnership working in the county?
It seems inevitable that partnership working between the County Council and the police will be more difficult with a larger force. We are in the process of developing a Local Area Agreement, are establishing Children’s Trust arrangements and have developed good working arrangements between the Police Community Safety Unit and the Crime & Drugs Strategy Unit with plans to develop this further. We have an LPSA target on Road Safety Education and Training. Police involvement in all of these areas is critical and there is a danger that force mergers will take the focus off this critical local work. In addition to this strategic work it is essential that good relationships are maintained at the frontline and that frontline capacity and effective community policing are not reduced in the name of efficiency. A merged force will also have to ensure that there is consistency in terms of policy regarding traffic issues and there is concern that an area which we have already struggled to agree as a priority may lose further focus in a wider area.
Careful consideration will need to be given to how the full range of partnership activities requiring police engagement will be effectively maintained in a larger merged force.
A “3 county” police force would make it more difficult to develop the important relationships at a both a senior / chief officer level and a more “tactical” level which are the bedrock of sound emergency planning – although less difficult than it would be on a regional basis.
Joint working between Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service and the Police may be compromised by a move to a wider force. Excellent Gold Command arrangements could be at risk.

PLEASE RETURN TO THE ADDRESS BELOW BY FRIDAY 2 DECEMBER 2005:

Hertfordshire Police Authority, FREEPOST, ANG6281, HERTFORD, SG13 8YS

(no stamp needed)

Or Fax to: 01992 555625

Email:

Issued by Sally Patient Tel: 01992 555624