Police reform proposals will leave local residents worse off, warns PCC

Dear Resident,

Police and Crime Commissioner for Warwickshire Philip Seccombe has raised serious concerns about the Government’s Police Reform White Paper, warning that reducing the number of police forces and creating much larger regional structures risks leaving local residents worse off.

The PCC believes that potentially merging Warwickshire into a larger regional force would weaken local focus and accountability at a time when communities expect their concerns to be heard.

Concerns have also been raised that our rural communities in particular would be placed at a disadvantage. Dedicated Rural Crime Teams have been established for the county, which could be the first to be dismantled or diverted in a regionalised model with the demands of major cities.

The Commissioner agrees that greater investment in technology is needed to ensure forces are fit for the future but insists that reforming the current funding formula would deliver far greater benefit to local policing than redrawing boundaries or creating new regional structures.

You can read the PCCs full response to the White Paper published yesterday on our website.