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Police Restructuring

I regret the contribution just made by the hon. Member for Crawley (Laura Moffatt), who is completely out of step with the views of other West Sussex Members of Parliament, her own chief constable and the police authority, all of whom have expressed grave concern about the impact of amalgamation on policing in the county. It will not have been lost on the Government that of, by my count, 26 speakers, only five Government Members were willing to defend the Government’s proposals, and many of them offered only a qualified defence. Great concern has been expressed about the proposals. The right hon. Member for Southampton, Itchen (Mr. Denham), who is Chairman of the Home Affairs Committee, voiced concern about the inability of any proposed amalgamation to cross borders.