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06
Nov
Mayor warns police 'mega force' could put rural communities at risk
The Mayor of York and North Yorkshire has criticised proposals to create "mega police forces" as a threat to policing in the region.
Labour mayor David Skaith said the move, which has been endorsed by Metropolitan Police chief, Sir Mark Rowley, would lead to villages becoming “hotspots for crime” as resources would be diverted to urban areas.
The government is carrying out a review of England and Wales' 43 police forces, which could see some of them — including North Yorkshire Police — merge.
In a speech on Friday (November 6), Sir Mark proposed creating eight to 10 regional police forces after warning that the current system was “heading for failure without change”.
The head of the Metropolitan Police added that organised crime groups, fraud networks, cyber-criminals and those involved in online child abuse increasingly operate across regional and international borders, while police forces remain organised around local areas.
Mayor David Skaith, who took on police, fire and crime commissioner responsibilities in May 2024.
However, Mr Skaith said strategic mayoral authorities should be the default structure in police reforms being considered by the government.
He said he was "deeply concerned" about the proposal, which would be "unfair" to taxpayers in North Yorkshire.
He said:
Mega forces are a threat to neighbourhood policing in York and North Yorkshire, especially in our rural communities. They would inevitably see resources diverted to large cities, leaving towns and villages at risk of becoming hotspots for crime. That is unfair to North Yorkshire taxpayers, who provide almost half of the funding for policing.
I am deeply concerned about the impact that removing policing from a core principle of devolution, the alignment of public services with mayoral boundaries, would have on the cohesive approach we want to take to early intervention and prevention. This is particularly important given how closely interconnected outcomes in health, education and employment are with crime.
There is more to do. Nobody disagrees that the police need to improve and that reform is necessary. But that reform should be rooted in collaboration, not top-down reorganisation.
Meanwhile, Jo Coles, Labour Deputy Mayor for Policing in York and North Yorkshire, added that creating larger police forces was not the answer to tackling modern criminals.
She added that tackling serious and organised crime required “strong national capabilities and effective collaboration”.
Ms Coles said:
Policing must adapt to the changing nature of crime. Cybercrime, fraud, child exploitation and organised criminal networks do not respect force boundaries. But it does not follow that bigger police forces are the answer. Serious and organised crime requires strong national capabilities and effective collaboration.
Policing cannot defeat modern crime alone. We need every partner around the table, all shoulders to the wheel; with Mayors helping to lead the response. Police reform will not automatically create more police officers, shorten our 6,000 miles of roads or remove the demands of 32 million visitors into York and North Yorkshire.
The move comes as Cllr Carl Les, Conservative leader of North Yorkshire Council, has previously come out in opposition to the plan.
He said a move to a wider region force would see rural areas face “disproportionate competition for resources” from urban areas.
Yorkshire mega-force
A Yorkshire mega-force would include North Yorkshire Police, South Yorkshire Police, West Yorkshire Police and Humberside Police.
Going on current numbers, that would result in a force with more than 13,000 officers – more than a combined Merseyside and Greater Manchester force would have (12,300). London’s Metropolitan Police has more than 34,000.
But the changes will entail some major restructuring and changes to working practices, so are only expected to come into force by the end of the next parliament, around 2034.
Neighbourhood police at One Arch in Harrogate.
The proposals, which are detailed in the White Paper, From local to national: a new model for policing, are designed to save money and improve crime-fighting efforts. Ministers say the current model is bureaucratic and wastes money, as each force currently runs its own headquarters, management teams and backroom staff.
They also believe smaller forces are not well enough equipped to deal with serious crime and major incidents. They say mega-forces could focus on tackling serious and organised crime, as well as complex cases involving murder and drug supply.
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