Peter Hain said the Home Office should meet extra costs

Wales' four chief constables said this week they would not support plans for a single Welsh force unless he addressed funding concerns.

Mr Hain told BBC Wales he agreed with the chief constables' stance.

He said council-taxpayers should not have to foot the bill, adding the home secretary was listening to concerns.

Home Secretary John Reid wants the new force in place by next April.

The chief constables have backed the plan in principle, but warned that a merger of the country's four police forces should not go ahead unless more money was found.

They said the plans as they stand could lead to cuts in policing - or an increase in Welsh council tax.

Mr Hain said he would not "sign up" to the plans even though he supported the idea in principle until the financing was "sorted out".

Chief constables have called for reassurances on finances

He told BBC Wales' Dragon's Eye programme: "You can't land the costs of this restructuring onto the Welsh budget or onto the council tax bill.

"It's got to be funded from the home office."

'Insufficient' resources

North Wales' Richard Brunstrom said the chief constables' action was "not a threat", but "certainly a warning".

He said: "We state again and again in our letters in the public domain that we support this process.

"We are not against it - we are looking to find a way to make it work. What we can't allow is for it to carry on insufficiently resourced because then it won't work."

"That's not in the interest of the people of Wales and it's not in the interest of the home secretary or the government."

Mr Reid's office said the home secretary did not want to comment on Mr Hain's view.