Police authority move confirms proposals to merge with Hertfordshire
Local fears that Bedfordshire Police is set to be merged with the Hertfordshire Force have increased after Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate for Bedford and Kempston Henry Vann uncovered a bid for £500,000 of funding from the Government's 'Merger Exploration Fund.'
The bid was made by Bedfordshire Police and has been confirmed in minutes of the latest meeting of the Police Authority's 'Joint Collaboration Working Group.
Henry Vann is opposing the plan, arguing that local policing could suffer if resources are focused further south and key decisions are taken remotely in a force covering a much wider area.
Responding to the news, Henry Vann said:
"It is bad enough that we have to play runner-up to Luton with its airport and larger population. We certainly don't want to see our resources pushed even further south and further away from our towns.
"The Police Officers do a fantastic job fighting crime in Bedford, but we are underfunded and constantly sidelined by the Labour Government. Local policing is vital, and moving the police authorities away from the focus on Bedfordshire would be severely damaging.
Speaking about Liberal Democrat national priorities, Henry added:
"That is why the Liberal Democrats have pledged an extra 3,000 police officers nationally, paid for by scrapping ID Cards, and we would also put more police on the streets using technology and support staff to enable police to be out on patrol more often."