Government scraps police merger plan

10.35.16am UTC (GMT +0000) Thu 13th Jul 2006

In a major U-turn the Government has scrapped its plans to merge police forces in England and Wales, it announced yesterday. The scheme to reduce the number of forces from 43 to about 28 was the brainchild of the former home secretary, Charles Clarke. The Liberal Democrats opposed the mergers.

Nick Clegg MP said "Mergers would have been an expensive mistake, and the Government's acknowledgement of this fact is to be welcomed. But the Home Office is developing a worrying reputation for rushed and ill-thought out proposals that it has to abandon - usually after wasting millions of pounds. Ministers should now focus on sensible, practical policies to help the police tackle serious crime by working together."