Proposed Changes to the Police Forces in Wales

I felt it was important to make a further statement on the possible restructuring of the police in Wales. It would be helpful for me to remind Members of the process for considering the options for the future structures for police in Wales and to explain where we currently are in that process. The Home Secretary’s letter of 22 September to the chairs of police authorities and to chief constables clearly sets out the process for consultation with the police, which involves three stages. We have only just completed the first stage of that process, so the matter is far from settled. In my statement on 28 September, I referred to a letter that I had received from the Home Secretary, stating that he would welcome the Assembly’s views on the ‘Closing the Gap’ report and our involvement in the consultation process.

When I met the Home Secretary on 23 October, we discussed the timetable for the review that the Social Justice and Regeneration Committee was undertaking on behalf of the Assembly. While the Home Secretary was unable to extend the timetable for the submission of the Committee’s review, he fully appreciated that the preparation of the report was a very important part of the consultation process in Wales. In accordance with the timetable for the first stage, the chairs of police authorities and chief officers undertook an initial analysis of options for the future structure of police forces in Wales and produced an emerging findings note, which was sent to the Home Secretary at the end of last month. Members of the Social Justice and Regeneration Committee are aware, from the evidence given to the committee by chairs of police authorities and chief constables on 2 November that, according to the initial appraisal work, the single force for Wales scored most highly of the options. However, the chairs and chief officers were absolutely clear that there remained much work to do under stage two of the process on each of the options they had considered before finally identifying the preferred option.

While the press notice issued by the Home Office states that the single force option has emerged most strongly in stage one, this should not be a surprise given the information that has been submitted to it so far. The important point to stress, however, is that stage 1 is exactly what it says it is—the first stage in a three-stage process. Indeed, the Home Secretary sought to assure me again yesterday that no decision has been taken for Wales. He is anxious not to pre-empt the results of the inquiry by the Social Justice and Regeneration Committee. He was also keen to emphasise that it remains a matter for individual police authorities to determine which option to propose in December.
 
I took the opportunity to discuss the next steps in the process with the chief constables when I met them yesterday. I can confirm that, in line with their statements at committee, the chief constables and the chairs of the police authorities in Wales are continuing to examine three options, which were set out in the evidence that they provided to the Social Justice and Regeneration Committee. Those three options are: no change from the existing four-force structure, with North Wales forging stronger links with Cheshire; a two-force structure, involving the merger of the South Wales and Gwent forces and of Dyfed-Powys and North Wales; and a single force for Wales. The police are now consulting with the public and their partners on all three options. The police authorities will consider the more detailed information and costings that are currently being worked up before they take a view on which is the preferred option in early December. As you can see, this matter is far from settled.

My purpose in making this statement today is to ensure that, at the Assembly, we do not lose sight of the need to continue to carefully consider what the best structure for the police force in Wales is and to press our case with the Home Office. As I have already made clear, I believe that it is important that any new structure paves the way for what could be the future devolution of policing in Wales and also ensures that there are strong links with our local communities. The Home Secretary said again to me yesterday that he would welcome our views on the democratic structure that will underpin any new force or forces in Wales, and it is crucial that we take this opportunity to make our views known.
The time for us to respond on these matters is very short. We need to face up to the fact that, while the Home Secretary is keen for us to be a part of the consultation process, he is determined to stick to the timetable that he has set out. Instead of speculating on what decisions have or have not been taken, I suggest that we concentrate our efforts on forming our views on these important issues to ensure that we have a say in this crucial debate on the future of policing in Wales.