 The Cleveland force said it will fight merger plans |
The Home Secretary is to meet the head of police on Teesside to discuss plans to merge three forces in the north-east of England. Chief Constable Sean Price of Cleveland Police will outline his opposition at a meeting with Charles Clarke at the Home Office in London on Wednesday.
Northumbria and Durham police favour the creation of a "superforce".
But the Cleveland force, which claims local people are against the move, has said it will fight merger plans.
The chairman of the Cleveland Police Authority, Councillor Dave McLuckie, and Teesside MPs have also been invited to the meeting.
A spokesman for the authority said the meeting was being held to raise concerns over the "current review of police structures".
Three forces
Mr Clarke is backing the three-force merger as part of a restructuring project which could see the number of UK police forces drop from 43 to just 12.
A recent poll carried out for the Cleveland authority found a single regional force was the first choice of only 8%.
The poll questioned 2,402 people in the Tees Valley and County Durham areas.
Findings were that retaining the existing three forces was the first preference of 70% and second preference for 17%.
An option of two new forces was favoured by 18% as a first preference and 60% as a second.
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