Written 22/11/05

People in Cambridgeshire are being given the chance to have their say on the future of policing in the county and across the eastern region.

Police forces and authorities across the region have been told by the Home Office to study a series of options designed to replace single county forces with mergers involving between three and six forces.

An eastern regional co-ordination group has been set up to scrutinise the options and try to reach a consensus on the future shape of policing which must be put to the Home Office by December 5, though there is likely to be further consultation.

Now, as part of the study, Cambridgeshire Constabulary is giving people in Cambridgeshire the chance to say which option they favour, whether they need more information, or whether they want the county's police force to stay as it is.

The Home Office-preferred options being studied for Cambridgeshire are for a regional Eastern Force comprising Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk or strategic forces including Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk or Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire.

Cambridgeshire's Acting Chief Constable, Julie Spence, said: "It is crucial that the communities we serve make their views known.

"Cambridgeshire, together with many other constabularies, is set to become part of a much larger police force. That does not mean that policing at the heart of the community will change, particularly here in this county where we put such great value on partnership working at every level.

"While, as professional police officers, I and my colleagues can suggest what needs to be done to make policing work in the region on a much grander scale, it is vital that we hear the wishes and the concerns of those we serve - our customers - who are best placed to judge the likely impact on their towns and villages of the strategic decisions we will be called upon to make."

You can take part simply by clicking the link and completing the questionnaire at www.cambs.police.uk/haveyoursay/

<- Newer

Older ->