WOKING LIB DEMS OPPOSE LABOUR'S POLICE MERGERS

Woking Liberal Democrats oppose Labour's plan to merge the Surrey and Sussex police forces. This merger plan was announced by the Labour Home Secretary, Charles Clarke, on the 20th March.

Both police forces oppose this merger and prefer to remain as stand-alone authorities. They fear that the cost of the merger would hit council taxpayers very hard if they are to maintain policing effectiveness. The Association of Police Authorities estimates that the cost of the mergers will be £500 to £600 million. According to Anne Barnes, Chair of the Kent Police Authority, said that it would cost an estimated £58 million in start-up costs alone to merge Surrey and Sussex forces (BBC Website Report, 25 January 2006).

Woking Liberal Democrats believe that more community policing is needed to combat vandalism, graffiti and crime in our local areas. Sue Smith, Group Leader and local Liberal Democrat candidate for Mount Hermon West says:

"I fear that large, regional police forces would be even less responsive to local community needs. I also fear that it could lead to greater inequality of policing across large regions. We believe that influence over how communities are policed needs to be given to local people in their own community - not dictated from a distant regional centre. That is unacceptable to residents and the police."