Kent Police and Crime Commissioner, Matthew Scott, is inviting local residents to have their say on the Government’s proposals to merge police forces across England and Wales.
In January, the Government confirmed its intention to reform policing by reducing the current 43 police forces into a smaller number of larger, regional forces. The proposals form part of a wider ambition to move from a locally led policing model to a more centralised approach.
An Independent Review is now being carried out to advise the Government on how these proposed police mergers should be taken forward. However, the review is not seeking the views of the public, meaning it remains unclear how much public support exists for such significant changes to local policing.
To address this, Matthew Scott, Kent’s PCC has launched a consultation to give residents the opportunity to have their say. It does not set out firm proposals, instead, it asks residents for their views on a range of key principles linked to potential police force mergers which include questions around the benefits and negatives of merging, policing visibility and accountability and how AI and facial recognition is used.
PCC Matthew Scott said:
“There is no evidence to suggest that larger Police Forces are better than smaller ones. This has been a policy designed to reduce local accountability and democratic oversight, and I fear will lead to a loss of local policing, reduced crime investigation outcomes and a worse service for the public. If a Chief Constable is responsible for everything from Milton Keynes to Margate, how can they possibly get it right?”
Responses will be used to help inform the Commissioner’s response to the Independent Review and ensure that the perspective of Kent residents is reflected as decisions are considered at a national level. The survey also seeks views on the public’s opinions on the use of technology within policing.
Mr Scott added:
“Technology is helping Police Forces to improve outcomes for victims and reduce the amount of time necessary for some tasks. However, many of these important programmes haven’t been subject to public consent. With the creation of Police. AI, and Government funding for live facial recognition vans, I would like to know your views on these issues.”
The survey closes on Friday 5th June
- Link to survey – Police Forces Merger Consultation
- Link to White Paper From local to national: a new model for policing – GOV.UK