Last updated 16:39, Friday, 18 July 2008

PLANS to merge the Cumbria and Lancashire police forces were put back on the agenda by Home Secretary Jacqui Smith yesterday.

Her Green Paper on policing called for greater cooperation between constabularies in the region and across the country but said forces should be “exploring the possibility of voluntary merger.”

Two years ago Lancashire and Cumbria were the only two police forces to support the amalgamation plans put forward across England by then Home Secretary Charles Clarke.

The amalgamation between Cumbria and Lancashire police fell through because the government would not allow the police authorities to harmonise council tax.

Mrs Smith said yesterday: “Effective collaboration is at the heart of managing risk and minimising threat. We have made good progress but more can be done to facilitate further progress.

“Our vision is for collaborative solutions to be undertaken as part of mainstream policing, complementing and adding value to national and local structures, forming a key part of how policing is delivered in the 21st century.

“Policing will be enhanced by a wide spectrum of close collaboration across a wide range of business areas, with a view to exploring the possibility of voluntary merger, to more selective collaboration where forces benefit from delivering a particular policing function jointly.

“Our job is to facilitate and support forces and authorities in this work.”

The four main North West forces, Cumbria, Lancashire, Greater Manchester and Merseyside, already co-operate on many issues.

However, Cumbria Chief Constable Craig Mackey said there were no plans for a fresh merger bid at this stage.

He said: “There has recently been further speculation in the media around the possibility of police force mergers.

“Cumbria may have been mentioned in the coverage but I would like to clarify that the Constabulary is not debating mergers at this stage, and will not do so unless specifically instructed so by government.”