End of alliance will help West Mercia Police better serve its residents - PCC
Bringing an 'inefficient and unfair' alliance between West Mercia and Warwickshire police forces to an end will mean they can better focus on the communities they serve, police and crime commissioner John Campion has said.
Bosses said the cost of the split would pay for itself, and that the final settlement provided good value for money.
Mr Campion said: “The agreement we have reached is a good deal for the communities of West Mercia. By finally bringing the inefficient and unfair policing Alliance to an end, West Mercia is now able to ensure that their resources are fully focused on the communities they serve.”
In a statement from both the PCC and West Mercia Police, they said the final £10.5m figure is less than Warwickshire originally asked for.
They said: "Both forces have also agreed on a settlement figure of £10.5m as a full and final payment. This figure is lower than was recommended by the Home Office’s independent body and significantly lower than the amount requested by Warwickshire. As part of exiting a £300m policing alliance, this settlement is good value for money for the communities of West Mercia and will pay for itself in short order. It will also be paid in instalments over two financial years from reserves and efficiencies.
"Ending the alliance comes at a short term financial cost but enables our police force to fully utilise its resources, keeping the communities of West Mercia safe and unlocking the massive potential to deliver improvements in efficiency and effectiveness. It is vital that West Mercia Police is able to respond to the challenges and demand, which couldn’t be more important right now in the current climate."
The two forces have reached an agreement over future service provision and settlement costs, following termination of the £300 million strategic policing alliance that has been in place since 2012.
West Mercia and Warwickshire had worked to resolve the issues of bringing the strategic alliance to an end since notice was served in October 2018. However, when a mutual agreement couldn’t be made, an independent team was brought in by the Home Office to advise on the issues.
