West Mercia Police Authority

Speaking following a meeting with Warwickshire’s new Chief Constable, Andy Parker, and other members of the Alliance Chief Officer Group in Leamington, Mr Herbert said all forces needed to find similar innovative ways of working to achieve the best possible value from their resources.

“Initiatives such as the strategic alliance in Warwickshire and West Mercia demonstrate that innovative thinking can lead to better policing services for local communities, even at times of reduced resources. Warwickshire and West Mercia believe that they can deliver more by working in partnership than either force could achieve on its own. Closer working arrangements can maximise the resources available to protect communities from harm, as well as tackle cross-border and other criminality more effectively. British policing at its best is strongly grounded in local communities and these arrangements maintain local governance, chief constable accountability to local communities and the identities of both forces.”

Warwickshire’s Chief Constable Andy Parker said: “We were pleased to brief the Policing Minister on the good progress being made to deliver high-quality, value for money, policing services across Warwickshire and West Mercia. Policing is delivered upon a foundation of local policing teams engaged with partners and local communities, focused on tackling the harms that are most common locally and other harms that are most serious across force areas as well as regionally and nationally. We were delighted to demonstrate the work being delivered today to protect people from harm and also the progress being made to deliver the maximum policing services possible within the resources available to us in the future.”

In June 2011, West Mercia and Warwickshire Police Authorities accepted the professional recommendations of their Chief Constables to deliver all policing services across both force areas through an alliance. The Alliance enables both forces to meet the challenge of reducing policing budgets and provide greater operational and organisational resilience. Both forces retain Chief Constables who remain accountable to their Police Authorities for delivery of policing. Force identities are also retained within an alliance and both forces and authorities are keen to stress that local policing priorities, agreed with local communities and partners, will continue to be addressed. To support Chief Constables and Deputy Chief Constables in each force, two Assistant Chief Constables and two Director become responsible for the delivering of all services; Local Policing, Protective Services, Enabling (Resource) Services and Finance across both force areas have been appointed. Both forces retain their separate governance and accountability arrangements (through their Police Authorities), policing budgets, assets and financial accounting arrangements, including independent financial advice.