ESSEX’S police and crime commissioner has warned that neighbourhood policing could be seriously weakened under Government plans to merge forces into much larger regional units.

Roger Hirst, the county’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, said proposals – which could see England and Wales’ 43 forces reduced to around 12 to 15 “mega forces” – risk pulling decision making further away from communities such as Southend.

The reforms, aimed at streamline services and improve access to specialist resources, would also abolish the role of police and crime commissioners, with responsibility transferred to newly elected regional mayors.

Mr Hirst said: We support change that genuinely improves policing for the public, but changes on this scale must be fully funded and must not weaken local accountability or neighbourhood policing.”

He criticised the Government for failing to fully fund last year’s police pay settlement and for axing antisocial behaviour hotspot funding – a programme he says helped cut antisocial behaviour incidents in Essex by more than two thirds since 2016.

Essex Police has also only received funding for 16 of the 39 neighbourhood officers required under new national standards.

More than 100 police staff jobs are set to go despite the share of council tax which funds Essex Police going up by almost 6 per cent from April.

Mr Hirst said Essex residents had repeatedly backed higher council tax to sustain police numbers.
“Local people have been clear they want more visible, accessible policing. Together we have delivered that. Essex Police is now the biggest and strongest it has ever been,” he added.

Under a merged regional force, he warned, resources could be pulled towards larger cities or high crime areas, leaving towns such as Southend with fewer officers, slower response times for lower level crime, and reduced influence over policing priorities including the seafront night time economy and town centre disorder.

Mr Hirst added: “Any change to policing must build on what works locally, not put it at risk.”
Southend councillor Martin Terry, who leads on community safety, voiced similar concerns.

“I am worried about the expansion of police forces because years ago we lost the Southend borough police force and I think that was a negative thing,” he said.
“The bigger it gets, the more you lose the local contact.”

He stressed that Southend’s unique pressures – especially during the summer, when the seafront requires event scale management – must not be overlooked. “You need that local feel. Every town is different,” he said.