News Date: Monday 24th April 2006
Tim supports Police Chief's rejection of Home Office plans
East Worthing and Shoreham MP Tim Loughton has joined with other Conservative MPs for West Sussex to urge the Government not to bulldoze in their plans to merge Sussex and Surry police force.
These calls come in the light of the rejection of the proposed changes by Sussex Police Authority. Peter Jones, the Chairman of the Sussex Police Authority has commented, the "proposal remains fundamentally flawed and he (the Home Secretary) has so far failed to respond to our case for a federal model for the South East region's forces, which we see as a much better alternative, both operationally and economically." He also pointed out that the Home Secretary had not provided reassurances to concerns over funding and governance problems that would be caused by the merger.
Tim commented:
"This is the third time in as many months that I have called on the Government to ditch their damaging proposals but I fear the concerns my colleagues and I have raised will fall once again on deaf ears. It is essential that the Government listens to the expert views of police officers on the ground and looks again at their plans.
"The Home Office have estimated that if implemented these changes would cost ?27.1 million - to be funded from the public purse. This would mean that each of my constituents would be paying ?19 more a year for the same level of policing. I believe that the residents of East Worthing and Adur deserve a police force that is locally accountable and focused on community issues but if the Government goes ahead with the merger these needs will certainly not be met."
Note to Editors:
1) Sussex Police Force currently serves over 1.5 million residents and covers 1,500 square miles stretching from Chichester in the West to Hastings in the East.
?, Tim Loughton MP , 2006
