Essex Police Commissioner urges government to scrap merger plans

Essex Police Commissioner Roger Hirst is calling on the government to abandon proposals to merge Essex Police into a larger regional force with Suffolk and Norfolk. The campaign seeks to maintain locally led and accountable policing.

A survey of over 1,700 Essex residents revealed significant opposition to the merger. Findings showed that 69 per cent of respondents opposed force mergers, while 85 per cent believed policing should remain locally led. Additionally, nearly 80 per cent of participants expressed concern that mergers could erode vital local knowledge and community connections, and 74 per cent disagreed that larger forces would increase police visibility.

Mr. Hirst presented these findings to Lord Bernard Hogan-Howe, the former Metropolitan Police Commissioner leading an independent review into the future structure of policing in England and Wales. The government has recently delayed this review, a move Hirst welcomed as an opportunity to listen to public sentiment.