Councillors to debate proposed police reforms

A councillor has raised concerns that Staffordshire Police could be merged with a larger force under government plans.

Councillor Joe Porter has submitted a motion to debate the matter at Staffordshire Moorlands District Council, in which he urged the authority to call on the government to rethink the plans.

"Staffordshire Police will almost certainly be pulled into either the West Midlands or Greater Manchester, which would result in resources rarely leaving the larger cities and rural areas being left behind," Porter said.

Ministers announced a series of reforms which included merging of 43 police forces in England and Wales to create 12 larger forces.

The plans also included expanding the use of artificial intelligence and facial recognition technology, as well as a new FBI- style police force.

The changes, unveiled in January, represented the largest change to policing since the service was founded two centuries ago, with the goal of saving money.

The government did not give a timeline for when the changes would be implemented but some have suggested it could happen by 2034.

Porter said the policy would be "disastrous" and called on the authority to voice its opposition to the move.

"Top-down reorganisation risks undermining efforts to fight crime, inevitably leading to centralised control that will hit towns and villages across the country hardest," Porter said in the motion, which is due to be discussed on Wednesday.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.

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