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| Bury Free Press, 21 October 2005 |
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| A Suffolk MP has accused Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott of flouting public opinion by pressing for the merging of emergency services in the region. |
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| It comes as police chiefs met to discuss possible options for the future of the six East Anglian forces, one of which is to combine them into one 'super force'. |
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| Bury St Edmunds MP David Ruffley said: "Despite county- wide opposition from many local politicians, John Prescott is moving ahead with expensive and unwanted plans to deprive the people of Suffolk of their contact with emergency services. |
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| "Mr Prescott has no proper mandate to do this. He is openly flouting public opinion and this is more evidence of regionalisation by stealth. |
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| "There is a dangerous anti-democratic as well as anti-local element to this." |
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| The heads of the six police services which will be affected – Suffolk, Norfolk, Essex, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire – met last week to come up with options for taking the plans forward. |
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| There are two options other than the 'super force'. They involve either splitting the region into north and south or east and west, each force covering three counties. |
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| Suffolk Chief Constable Alastair McWhirter said: "We are only at the start of the process to discover the shape of policing in this region in the future. |
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| "However, all the forces and authorities are united on one thing – using this opportunity to ensure the people of this region continue to receive the best possible policing service." |
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| Force bosses must put forward their preferred option to the Home Office by December 23. |
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| Plans for the regionalisation of other emergency services are more advanced. |
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| The Suffolk fire control room in Ipswich is due to be axed and replaced by a regional centre covering all six counties. |
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| However Fire Brigades' Union secretary for East Anglia, Graham Noakes, said campaigners would fight to get the decision reversed in Parliament. |
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| He said: "It is purely a financially driven decision and will do nothing to improve emergency services – in fact, it will put lives at risk." |
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| It is also proposed to combine the East Anglian Ambulance Trust, which serves Suffolk, Norfolk and Cambridgeshire, with the Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Ambulance Trust and Essex Ambulance Trust. |
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| A Department of Health consultation into the plans is due to start in the next few weeks. |
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