The West Yorkshire Police and a Merger - Assignment Example

Action Research Methods This paper encompasses the introduction of a research proposal. The proposal is about the West Yorkshire Police and a merger. The situation that will be uninvestigated in the proposal will focus on is the merger and the fact it was meant to take place with other Police regions in 2006. However, the merger did not take place. The merger was meant to integrate the North Yorkshire Police, West Yorkshire Police, South Yorkshire Police and East Yorkshire Police. The goal being to incorporate the police together so they would ultimately be together under one unit. The proposal will investigate the issues that would arise for the public sector as a result of the mergers. In addition, the perception of the police regarding the merger will be examined. The purpose of the research on the merger is to investigate and present the action methods that will work best to formulate a decision regarding the merger and reach a conclusion as to the best and most ethical course. There are many fact ors to be taken into consideration regarding a merger.. Included in the Yorkshire Police merger are legal issues, A recent newspaper article re ported on these issues. It reported That the government was being taken to the high court over its plans to merge police forces, while rebel Labour MPs plan to derail the scheme in the Commons. Cleveland police force is to seek a judicial review of the home secretary's plans to merge it with the Durham and Northumbria forces. Guardian Unlimited Guardian News and Media Limited 2007 It further reportd thar While this was going on a group of Labour MPs led by John Grogan intends to sabotage the merger plans when they come through the Commons in the autumn. This twin opposition is John Reid's second major headache since being appointed at the start of the month, following the debacle of the failure to deport released foreign prisoners. The idea of bigger, better resourced, forces came in the wake of criticism of the small Cambridgeshire police force's response to the Soham murders. Guardian Unlimited Guardian News and Media Limited 2007 My research concluded that a go od merger is contingent on good planning and research Law enforcement in the United Kingdom is not the responsibility of one single police service serving the general public; with the exception of various special police forces and of Northern Ireland (which has one unified force, the Police Service of Northern Ireland), police forces are arranged in geographical areas matched to the boundaries of one or more local authorities; in recent years being increasingly described as "territorial police forces". (Baskerville 2004 p 329) In turn, these forces are regulated by the laws of the appropriate country within the UK (administration of police matters is not generally affected by the Government of Wales Act 2006), i.e., Scotland, Northern Ireland, England and Wales. It is common for the territorial police forces in England and Wales to be referred to as "Home Office" police forces, after the government department which exercises control at a national level in England and Wales but this is erroneous as the description can encompass a number of miscellaneous forces subject to some kind of control by the Home Office but which are not the concern of the various Police Acts which control territorial police forces. (Bakersville 2004 p330) In 1981, James Anderton, the then Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police called for 10 regional police forces for England and Wales, one for each of the regions which would be adopted as Government Office Regions in England, and Wales.[2] A 2004 proposal by the Police Superintendents Association for the creation of a single national police force, similar to the Garda Sochna na hireann was rejected by the Association of Chief Police Officers, and the government has thus far agreed.[3] In September 2005, in a report[4] delivered to the then Home Secretary, Charles Clarke, HM Inspectorate of Constabulary suggested that the forty-three force structure in England and Wales was "no longer fit for purpose" and smaller forces should be forcibly merged. As of 2005, nineteen forces had fewer than 2,000 regular officers, and the report suggested that forces with 4,000 or more officers performed better and could deliver cost savings.[5] Forces were asked to produce proposals for mergers, within Wales and the English Government Office Regions. Nearly all the existing forces were under the 4,000 limit, with only the Metropolitan Police, Greater Manchester Police, Merseyside Police, Northumbria Police, Thames Valley Police, West Midlands Police and West Yorkshire Police over the limit - see List of police forces in England and Wales by officers for a full list. Draft options were announced in November 2005.[6] The Home Office offered money to police authorities that decided to voluntarily merge ahead of schedule, and was consequently accused of attempting to "bribe" unwilling Chief Constables into compliance.[7] The proposals were debated in the House of Commons on December 19, 2005.[8] Most Chief Constables and police authorities did not back the measure,[9] and some suggested that cross-regional mergers would make more sense (for example, Hampshire Constabulary in the South East suggested it could merge with Dorset Police in the South West, whilst there was also a suggestion of North Wales Police increasing co-operation with Cheshire Police)[10] On February 6, 2006, preferred options for several regions were announced by the Home Secretary in a Written Ministerial Statement,[11][1] and set a deadline of February 24 for forces to agree to the mergers. By this dead-line the only merger to have the agreement of all forces involved was the Cumbria/Lancashire merger. Cheshire was opposed to a merger with Merseyside, and West Mercia and Cleveland were holdouts in their regions, whilst all the Welsh forces opposed the creation of a single Welsh force.[13] The Home Secretary had the power to order the Cumbria/Lancashire merger to proceed by statutory instrument under the Police Act 1996, and also to force through the contested mergers, given a four-month consultation period. In a Written Statement made on March 3, 2006,[14] he announced that the Lancashire/Cumbria merger could be ordered in May, and that the consultation period on the others was starting, and would end on July 2, 2006. The new forces would come into being on April 1, 2007.[3][4] A second batch of merger proposals were made on March 20, 2006, with the Eastern, East Midlands and South East regions covered. A deadline of April 7, 2006 was set for responses, after which it was expected that the process above would be followed.[1][[2] The following day, the Home Secretary proposed a merger of all four forces in the Yorkshire and the Humber region. 20] The consultation period on this second batch of mergers started on April 11, 2006, and would have finished on August 1 Upon the publication of the proposals, the Greater London area was not included. This was due to two separate reviews of policing in the capital - the first was a review by the Department of Transport into the future role and function of the British Transport Police. The second was a review by the Attorney-General into national measures for combating fraud (the City of London Police is one of the major organisations for combating economic crime).[2] Both the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Sir Ian Blair, and the Mayor, Ken Livingstone, stated that they would like to see a single police force in London, with the Metropolitan Police absorbing the City of London Police and the functions of the British Transport Police in London.[3] However, this met with criticism from several areas; the House of Commons Transport Select Committee severely criticised the idea of the Metropolitan Police taking over policing of the rail network in a report published on 16 May 2006,[4] while the Corporation of London and several major financial institutions in The City made public their opposition to the City Police merging with the Met.[2] In a statement on 20 July 2006, the Transport Secretary announced that there would be no structural or operational changes to the British Transport Police, effectively ruling out any merger2] The interim report by the Attorney General's fraud review recognised the role taken by the City Police as the lead force in London and the South-East for tackling fraud, and made a recommendation that, should a national lead force be required, the City Police, with its expertise, would be an ideal candidate to take this role.[1] This view was confirmed on the publication of the final report, which recommended that the City of London Police's Fraud Squad should be the national lead force in combatting fraud, to "act as a centre of excellence, disseminate best practice, give advice on complex inquiries in other regions, and assist with or direct the most complex of such investigations"[4] 1, with a target of April 1, 2008 for the mergers coming into effect.[2] Proposed mergers Note: these mergers have all been suspended in the long term while a further review and consultation into policing in England and Wales takes place Region Proposed force Eastern Merge Bedfordshire Police, Essex Police and Hertfordshire Constabulary Merge Cambridgeshire Constabulary, Norfolk Constabulary and Suffolk Constabulary East Midlands Merge Derbyshire Constabulary, Leicestershire Constabulary, Lincolnshire Police, Northamptonshire Police and Nottinghamshire Police London London not included in the review of policing, so City of London Police and Metropolitan Police unaffected. North-East Merge Cleveland Police, Durham Constabulary and Northumbria Police North-West Merge Cumbria Constabulary and Lancashire Constabulary Merge Cheshire Constabulary and Merseyside Police Greater Manchester Police unchanged South-East Kent Police unchanged Merge Surrey Police and Sussex Police Hampshire Constabulary unchanged Thames Valley Police unchanged South-West[33] Option 1: Merge Avon and Somerset Constabulary, Devon and Cornwall Constabulary, Gloucestershire Constabulary, Dorset Police and Wiltshire Constabulary Option 2: Merge Avon and Somerset Constabulary, Gloucestershire Constabulary, Wiltshire Constabulary and Dorset Police Devon and Cornwall Constabulary unchanged Wales Merge Dyfed-Powys Police, Gwent Police, North Wales Police and South Wales Police West Midlands Merge Staffordshire Police, Warwickshire Police, West Mercia Constabulary, West Midlands Police Yorkshire and Humberside Merge Humberside Police, North Yorkshire Police, South Yorkshire Police, West Yorkshire Police References Baskerville, R., and Myers, M.D. "Special Issue on Action Research in Information Systems: Making IS Research Relevant to Practice-Foreword," MIS Quarterly (28:3) 2004, pp 329-335. Footnotes 1 Police merger plan given go-ahead. BBC News. 11 April 2006 2 Hansard 18 Apr 2006, Col 328W 3 Battle to merge London's Police. The Guardian. 8 October 2004. ^ 4 Future of the British Transport Police HoC Transport Committee. 16 May 2006 Read More