Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • Maternity & Paternity
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
    • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • Maternity & Paternity
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
    • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

PoliceEconomics, government & businessLatest NewsHR strategyJob creation and losses

Police force mergers back on MPs’ agenda

by Louisa Peacock 23 Apr 2008
by Louisa Peacock 23 Apr 2008

Police HR professionals face a daunting few months as controversial plans to merge forces in England and Wales are set to resurface, a chief constable told MPs yesterday.

The head of the Association of Chief Police Officers, Sir Norman Bettison, said yesterday that police mergers were “inevitable” to cope with 21st century policing demands.

Speaking to the Commons Home Affairs Committee about policing in the 21st century, he said: “Mergers are inevitable. Police forces are like a patchwork quilt, there are 43 offices, and all forces are required to cope with the things that 21st century life throws at us. I predict that these are the events that will bring us back to the agenda [of merging forces].”

The changes could result in “the biggest reform of policing that the country has seen for 30 years”, according to Jan Berry, chairman of the Police Federation, which represents rank-and-file officers.

Initial plans to merge 43 police forces into as few as 12 were announced in 2005 by the then home secretary Charles Clarke, after a report by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) said forces with fewer than 4,000 officers were not equipped to fight sophisticated modern crime.

However, less than a third of forces backed the plans, largely because they would ultimately mean cuts to back-office jobs, including HR.

Vince Hislop, director of HR at Bedfordshire Police said at the time: “There will be some casualties along the way, especially in support services.”

However, Peter Neyroud, chief constable and head of the National Policing Improvement Agency, said at yesterday’s committee meeting there were some policing tasks that should be seen as one national agenda rather than 43 separate programmes. “We have got to start thinking about whether some functions can be seen as one rather than 43,” he said.

But Bettison recognised that there was a strong feeling across many forces that merging would ultimately see fewer resources available for each force.

“There are some barriers [to merging]. If it was starting from scratch it may be possible. But starting from where they are it means finding new money to make the transition.”

He added: “Small forces feel that all the resources they had will be put into the urban centres, but the urban centres feel their resources will get dissipated. There is a strong feeling this could happen.”

Avatar
Louisa Peacock

previous post
Is HR really ready to take on the green challenge?
next post
Case of the week: Changing staff terms and conditions

You may also like

‘It’s International HR Day – wait, you didn’t...

20 May 2022

Policeman dubbed ‘Dolly Parton’ for working Nine to...

20 May 2022

Adapt culture to hybrid work: do not force...

20 May 2022

Women in FTSE 350 leadership: ‘A lot of...

20 May 2022

City firms pledge to improve social mobility in...

20 May 2022

Squishy, flabby, foggy HR? Andrew Bartlow talks to...

20 May 2022

Movers and shakers May 2022: John Lewis and...

20 May 2022

City workers desert offices in favour of hybrid...

20 May 2022

Working from home statistics show three-fold increase

20 May 2022

Statutory sick pay reforms would save £4bn

19 May 2022
  • Apprenticeships are the solution to your recruitment problems PROMOTED | Apprenticeships have the pulling power...Read more
  • What it really means to be mentally fit PROMOTED | What is mental fitness...Read more
  • How music can help to ease anxiety at work PROMOTED | A lot has happened since March 2020, hasn’t it?...Read more
  • Why now is the time to plug the unhealthy gap PROMOTED | We’ve all heard the term ‘health is wealth’...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2022

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2022 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • Maternity & Paternity
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
    • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+