Mark Garnier, Wyre Forest's Conservative Parliamentary Spokesman, today backed calls from local Conservative MPs to hold a referendum on the future of West Mercia Police Force. The call comes after the Government started to push ahead with proposals to merge West Mercia with South Staffordshire, Warwickshire and West Midlands police force into a local super force under unpopular proposals.
The call for a binding referendum started with Shropshire Conservative MP Owen Paterson and was followed my Mid Worcestershire MP Peter Luff. Earlier this year, Peter Luff secured assurances from outgoing Labour Prime Minster Tony Blair that local people would be listened to. But it is clear that Home Secretary Charles Clarke has no intention of honouring Mr Blair's promise.
Commenting, Mark Garnier said:
"If ever there was an example of the adage: 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it', this is it. West Mercia is an outstanding police force that has won high ratings from independent assessors. D Division - that covers Wyre Forest - has been singled out to pioneer new community policing initiatives and the force as a whole has presented detailed proposals to spend £2.9 million of its own funds to upgrade to the provision of protective services to the level of strategic police force. Yet the Government is holding its hands firmly over its ears when it comes to listening to the wishes of the West Mercia area. Aside from the fact that not one of the 13 MPs covering the area has publicly supported the proposals, nor any of the authorities at unitary, county or district levels, it seems that at grass roots level, people are actively against it. 108 parish councils are opposed the proposals and in an unprecedented public consultation conducted by West Mercia Police, 96% of respondents opposed the re-organisation and supported the proposal to upgrade West Mercia to a strategic police force. And both Wyre Forest District Council and West Mercia Police Force itself are against the proposed merger.
"What do we have to do to be listened to? I shall be writing to Charles Clarke in support of the action being taken by local Conservative MPs. This Government is keen on referenda: let's give them an opportunity for another."