Charles Clarke says change is needed to meet modern challenges

Charles Clarke told a meeting of police chiefs and authority leaders "strategic forces" were needed to tackle the key threats of terror and organised crime.

An Inspectorate of Constabulary report last week set out proposals to change the make-up of the 43 police forces.

Mr Clarke said this would lead to fewer forces, but the Police Federation has warned against cost-cutting.

Doing 43 things different ways no longer works Charles Clarke Home secretary

In a report for the home secretary, the inspectorate said the existing structure was "no longer fit for purpose" in the 21st Century.

Responding to this, Mr Clarke said: "The modern threats we face today from terrorism, international drug and people traffickers and financial crime gangs need police forces which have the resources and capabilities to match the criminals.

"Currently some forces are simply too small to meet these challenges.

"Doing 43 things different ways no longer works and the implication of the HMIC report, which I accept, is that inevitably we will have less forces in the future."

SMALL FORCES FACING REFORM Norfolk - 1,554 officers Suffolk - 1,323 officers Cambridgeshire - 1,418 officers Wiltshire - 1,228 officers Dorset - 1,475 officers Hampshire - 3,803 officers Warwickshire - 1,012 officers City of London - 881 officers Dyfed-Powys - 1,183 officers Gwent - 1,438 officers North Wales - 1,676 officers Home Office figures for March 2005

Mr Clarke said that with local accountability for tackling crime "delivered by neighbourhood policing", larger and more strategic constabularies would mean police equipped for the challenges of the 21st Century.

He asked all police chiefs to draw up proposals in response to the report.

Inspector of Constabulary Denis O'Connor, who is a former Surrey chief constable, said too many forces currently existed.

Mr O'Connor said forces with more than 4,000 officers tended to perform best and that reorganisation could save up to �2.3bn over 10 years.

Real savings?

At present, 19 forces have fewer than 2,000 officers - mostly in rural areas - with senior officers admitting that some struggle to meet the challenges of modern crime.

Sir John Stevens, the former Metropolitan Police Commissioner, said the home secretary was "absolutely right".

"The sooner we get into this business of restructuring police forces into proper kinds of units that are fit for the modern day demands, the sooner the better."

But the former chief constable of Gwent, Francis Wilkinson, questioned whether the enormous savings cited in the report would be "real" and whether communities would benefit.

The Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) warned restructuring would be "complex and expensive".

Dave McLuckie, chairman of Cleveland Police Authority which presides over a force of 1,704 officers, said plans for merged forces were a "fait accompli".

"No matter what we come up with, Charles Clarke and Hazel Blears are determined to see this happen.

"I do not think one size fits all - the idea that if you are bigger you are therefore better is not the right way forward in my opinion."