West Midlands force to provide Warwickshire Police services

Warwickshire Police's alliance with West Mercia Police is due to end

West Midlands Police will provide services for Warwickshire Police after the breakdown of its alliance with the West Mercia force.

The end of the agreement with West Mercia had put Warwickshire in an "unsustainable position", it claimed.

West Midlands Police has now agreed to provide its payroll, human resources systems and business services.

Warwickshire's Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) said it was a "real opportunity" for the force.

Warwickshire Police's Leek Wootton headquarters was going to be sold but the sale was halted as the force said it will needs space for additional officers

The Warwickshire and West Mercia forces have shared operations, including IT and forensics, with about 80% of the shared services based in West Mercia's area, which covers Shropshire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire.

But West Mercia Police says it is subsidising Warwickshire, the UK's smallest county police force, and wants to pull out.

Warwickshire Police disputes the claim.

The alliance was due to end in October, but Warwickshire sought Home Office intervention, saying it had not had enough time to split services, and they were told to remain linked for six more months.

West Midlands Police already has an agreement with Warwickshire to provide IT services, and talks are under way for it to deliver forensic services.

Warwickshire's Conservative PCC Philip Seccombe has also agreed to discussions on the force being involved in roads policing, something West Midlands operates in its region as a collaboration with Staffordshire Police under the Central Motorway Policing Group (CMPG) .

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Mr Seccombe said: "This agreement represents a real opportunity for Warwickshire to take advantage of the best-in-class services delivered by West Midlands Police and is an important part of our programme to deliver a sustainable future for Warwickshire Police."

David Jamieson, West Midlands PCC, added: "By agreeing this deal, West Midlands Police has ensured that Warwickshire Police is now sustainable."