§ Sir J. Edenasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consideration he gave to the possibility of combining Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch into a single police area; what special considerations caused him to recommend the amalgamation of Bournemouth's police force with that of the County of Dorset; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Roy JenkinsThere is no power under the Police Act, 1964, to amalgamate parts only of police areas, and it would not therefore be practicable to combine Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch into a single police area. I am satisfied that the amalgamation of Bournemouth70W with the whole of Dorset (which would have the effect of bringing the areas of Bournemouth and Poole under one command) would be in the interests of greater efficiency of policing and would create a reasonably sized police area in that part of the country.