Cumbria Police Commissioner Warns Towns Could Lose Out Under Regional Merger Plans
Cumbrian towns could face competition from major cities for police resources if proposals to merge Cumbria Constabulary into a larger regional force go ahead, the county’s commissioner has warned.
David Allen raised the issue during a meeting in Manchester attended by senior national policing figures, including Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley. He argued that a regional merger could weaken the local accountability and understanding needed to address the county’s particular policing challenges. Mr Allen said decisions affecting communities across Cumbria should remain with people who understand the area and the needs of its residents.
The towns specifically mentioned by Mr Allen included Workington, Whitehaven, Carlisle, Barrow-in-Furness, Kendal and Penrith. He warned that these communities, alongside smaller rural settlements, could find themselves competing with much larger urban areas for officers, funding and other operational resources. He believes Cumbria would be at a disadvantage in such a system because of its smaller population and the scale of its geographical area.
The commissioner highlighted the distinctive demands involved in policing the county, including extensive rural areas, isolated communities and the large number of visitors who travel to Cumbria throughout the year. He argued that these circumstances require local knowledge and policing arrangements capable of responding to different needs across towns, villages and tourist destinations. He said a distant regional headquarters might not give sufficient priority to those local considerations.
Mr Allen said he did not believe that creating larger forces would automatically improve policing. He pointed to Cumbria Constabulary’s performance and said he would not support changes that risked damaging the service currently provided to local communities. He also stated that police officer numbers had increased to their highest level since he became commissioner, alongside efforts to strengthen neighbourhood policing and reduce crime and anti-social behaviour.
The commissioner said he supported national improvements in areas such as technology, procurement and tackling serious organised crime. However, he argued that these objectives could be achieved through greater cooperation between forces and stronger national capabilities without abolishing existing local constabularies. He also backed the creation of a National Police Service to handle national responsibilities, while maintaining that local forces should continue serving their own communities.
His comments reflect wider opposition among police and crime commissioners across the North West. On 6 November, commissioners representing Cheshire, Cumbria, Lancashire, Merseyside and North Wales issued a joint statement opposing plans to create a small number of large regional forces. They warned that restructuring could be expensive and disruptive, diverting leadership attention and resources away from frontline policing for an extended period.
The commissioners said existing arrangements already allowed forces to work together on regional and national threats while retaining local accountability. They argued that investment should instead focus on police officers, staff, technology and victim services. Their statement also highlighted the different challenges facing communities across the North West, saying policing arrangements should remain responsive to local circumstances rather than rely on a single regional structure.
The proposed changes have also attracted opposition from local political representatives. Earlier in September, Westmorland and Lonsdale MP Tim Farron and Liberal Democrat mayoral candidate Libby Bateman presented a petition to the Home Office opposing the merger proposals. They raised concerns that resources could be diverted away from rural communities to address policing demands in larger urban areas elsewhere in the North.
No final decision has been made on the future structure of policing. Mr Allen said he would continue making the case to the Government for Cumbria to retain its own force. His intervention comes ahead of the county's first mayoral election, scheduled for May 2027. He argued that devolution should bring decisions closer to residents and ensure that issues affecting local communities, including policing, remain accountable to the people they serve.
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