Nottinghamshire Police could become ‘borderless’ for the first time as part of a plan to share its officers and services with other counties.
The force has been in talks with Leicestershire and Northamptonshire about sharing resources as part of a deal to save money and improve efficiency.
Senior officers announced in December they want to draw up a ‘strategic alliance’ which stops short of a merger.
It will allow police officers to deal with incidents in each other’s areas, share IT systems and use each other’s police stations.
Now senior police figures are working on a ‘blueprint’ outlining how the alliance will work, and hope a deal will be in place by 2020.
Nottinghamshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner Paddy Tipping and Chief Constable Chris Eyre met with their counterparts from Leicester and Northampton last Thursday to approve the move to the next stage.
Mr Tipping said: “Policing has changed irrevocably in recent years as forces have adapted to reduced budgets and the challenges of 21st-Century crime.
“I believe the police can deal with these hugely important issues far more effectively if they work together with other forces.”
The plan will be drawn up by a team of senior officers from the three forces, which will then be tested to ensure it provides the most effective way of operating.
If implemented, it would see officers routinely crossing borders for the first time, dealing with incidents in other counties if they happen to be the closest or most appropriate police unit to deal with a call.
Mr Eyre said: “We believe the benefits of a strategic alliance far outweigh
those any one force might achieve on their own.
“Not only does it allow significant financial savings, which will enable us to reinvest in the areas of greatest threat and risk, but it will also improve the overall service that we can offer the public, by introducing better ways of working together.”
Senior figures within Nottinghamshire Police have stressed that the alliance is not a merger – and that each force will keep its own identity, uniforms and way of working day-to-day.
