John Campion: We need to reform police partnership

I have seen a lot of rhetoric about “divorce”, or West Mercia “going it alone”.

This has been unfortunate and frustrating, because both the chief constable and I have been very clear on the matter.

Whilst the current alliance arrangement will come to an end next year, our clearly stated preference is to maintain a mutually beneficial relationship with our colleagues in Warwickshire going forward. An offer has already been made to that end.

There is no reason that the existing benefits of the alliance cannot be retained. What is clear however, is that we must act now to address the limitations of the alliance that are affecting the delivery of efficient and effective policing in West Mercia.

Any new relationship would simply need to be based on a different governance arrangement that would deliver more autonomy and accountability to both the constituent forces, as well as better services for our communities.

We believe the current governance arrangement which limits the effectiveness of the alliance must change, but all the benefits realised for both forces do not need to be unpicked.

Talks about the future of the alliance have been ongoing for some time with our partners in Warwickshire.

Recognise

I fully recognise and respect that they do not support ending the current arrangement. Equally however, I also hope they will recognise that this decision is about reforming the way we collaborate, not terminating it altogether. As such, we have asked them to work with us in the weeks and months ahead to find a new way forward in the interests of our respective communities and police forces.

I am committed to ensuring that this period of negotiation and change will not negatively impact our local police service in West Mercia.

I will continue to hold the chief constable to account to ensure our police are visible, accessible and delivering the best possible service. I will also ensure that work continues apace to recruit the 100 additional police officers for West Mercia I announced recently.

Precisely how we will emerge from the current alliance is not yet known, but my message to residents in Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin, and the rest of West Mercia is that this is about working towards a better deal and a better service for our communities. It is also about giving greater clarity to our hard working police officers and staff.

Change is naturally unsettling in any scenario, but that does not make it wrong.

It would clearly have been easier and more convenient to simply maintain the existing alliance, and accept its associated flaws. However, that would also mean accepting a scenario that does not deliver the best possible value or results for the communities of West Mercia.

I am not willing to simply take the easy option if it isn’t in the interest of our communities, and I do not believe our communities would expect me to either.