David Ruffley MP has today spoken of his outrage at the Government's bodged handling of the proposed merger of police forces in England and Wales. It is widely expected that John Reid, the Home Secretary, will officially scrap the proposals in a statement tomorrow.

Under the proposals Suffolk Constabulary was due to be merged with forces in Norfolk and Cambridgeshire.

David Ruffley has been opposed to the merger of police forces from the outset.

Ken Jones, the president of the Association of Chief Police Officers, has been quoted as telling every chief constable:

'The necessary financial support has not materialised and the mergers, including voluntary ones, will not take place.'

David said:

'The Government has displayed a simply astonishing level of incompetence in their handling of these proposed mergers.

'I have opposed moves to regionalise our police force from the outset and while I am pleased that the Home Secretary has finally seen sense and called off these ill conceived mergers the question must be asked- how much tax payers' money have they wasted?

'This is a colossal back down by a Government that is clearly floundering. I just hope that this is the last we have heard of this unpopular and unwarranted change to the way Suffolk is policed.'