The Home Secretary has bowed to pressure from Surrey MPs and local police and abandoned plans to merge Surrey and Sussex Police.
Responding to concerns from local police forces, Peter Ainsworth and other Surrey MPs joined together in May to press the Home Secretary to think again about controversial plans to compel police forces across the country to merge.
The news that the Home Office is to scrap the mergers followed an earlier announcement that the plans would be delayed until the autumn pending further debate.
Speaking following the announcement Peter Ainsworth said:
“This is excellent news for the Surrey and Sussex Police who were extremely concerned about the effect merger would have upon their ability to deliver local policing. The plans were costly and unworkable and I congratulate Surrey and Sussex Police for the vigour with which they made their case.”
He went on to say:
“Only recently we heard that the plans would be delayed. Now we hear that they are to be abandoned. It is worrying that things had to go this far before the Home Secretary finally saw sense and abandoned plans to force a shotgun wedding between the two forces.”
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