THE Chief Constable of West Mercia Constabulary has resigned himself to change within his force with the Government planning a shake-up in the way policing is structured.

Options which could see force mergers are to be considered by Home Secretary, Charles Clarke, chief constables and police authorities in the wake of the Closing the Gap report, published in September.

It was issued by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary - HMIC - as it was felt the existing 30-year-old, 43-force structure in England Wales, which matched local government boundaries, was outdated.

The public's views on what sort of policing they want in the future are being sought, with Paul West, Chief Constable of West Mercia, urging people to voice their opinions.

Organisations including community safety partnerships and Neighbourhood Watch will also be consulted.

Larger forces are set to be created, with minimum strengths of 4,000 police officers. The HMIC believes the bigger forces would be better equipped to deal with major incidents, serious and organised crime, public disorder and terrorism.

Mr West said: "It is clear that despite our outstandingly good recent performance, change is inevitable, given the significant structural changes that are happening nationally.

"From the beginning of this review process, we have been committed to evaluating and exploring all the viable options open to the constabulary and the police authority.

"No final decisions have been made and there is still a lot of work to be undertaken over the next two months."

A new West Mercia Strategic Police Service is a shortlisted option, which would preserve the force's current identity and geographical operating area.

Alternatively, West Mercia could be swallowed up in a strategic regional force, which would also incorporate the current forces of Staffordshire, West Midlands and Warwickshire.

That would have more than 13,000 police officers and about 21,000 staff in all.

Results of the consultation exercise, together with cost analysis, will be considered by the Police Authority at the end of this month.

A final report indicating how the plan for the preferred option would be implemented will be submitted to the Home Office by December 23.

A questionnaire for the public is available at

www.westmerciapoliceauthority.gov.uk