Oral question asked in the House of Lords, by Lord Ackner (Crossbench). It was answered by Baroness Scotland of Asthal (Labour) on Tuesday, 24 January 2006.

Police Authorities: Proposed Mergers

Question: What are the likely consequences to the Western Circuit, and in particular to the county of Hampshire, of their proposals to merge police authorities, and in particular any merger of the Hampshire police force with a police force other than Dorset or Wiltshire.

Answer: My Lords, we are working closely with our criminal justice partners and are in the middle of the consultation process for police force restructuring. It would therefore be premature to comment on options put forward by any police force or authority as no decisions have yet been made on the viability of certain options. The restructuring debate is centred on the need for a police service that is capable of meeting the demands of serious and organised crime as well as providing effective neighbourhood policing and maintaining present strong links with the criminal justice system.

Secondary information