All Wales Police force?

2.49.24pm BST (GMT +0100) Thu 13th Oct 2005

Eleanor Burnham AM, Welsh Liberal Democrat Assembly Member for North Wales, today challenged Welsh Secretary Peter Hains' support for an all Wales Police force.

Mrs Burnham said: "The government in London is dictating to Wales over the shape of our Police. They only pay half the bill for policing, yet they want all the say in how the police are organised.

"Creating a single police force for all of Wales would not solve one of the key problems the government has set for itself. You would still need to collaborate across boundaries. The major crime routes in Wales are East-West, not North-South. We would still need to collaborate with forces covering Liverpool, for example.

"The government seems to have closed its ears to the idea of devolving the police to Wales, to letting people in Wales decide our priorities. Yet Wales looks after its own fire and ambulance services. This is the ideal opportunity to hand over police powers, as senior police officers are arguing.

"The present system works in Wales. North Wales Police is one of the best police forces in the UK. People will not forgive the Government in London if they throw that away