Proposal to change name of force to Leicestershire and Rutland Police branded ‘complete waste of resources’

A police boss is proposing to change the name of the force to include Rutland.

Rupert Matthews, the police and crime commissioner for Leicestershire and Rutland has started a survey asking for people’s views on reinstating Rutland into the name of the force.

If the change was to go-ahead, the force would be called Leicestershire and Rutland Police, instead of Leicestershire Police.

He said: “Rutland residents have repeatedly told me that they are disappointed not to be recognised in their police force’s name. Everyone is entitled to an opinion, which is exactly why I am consulting people across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland to see if they support the idea of reinstating ‘Rutland’ into the Force’s name – or not.

“I will review the responses to my survey and act accordingly.”

But chairman of the Leicestershire Police Federation, Adam Commons, has hit out at the idea, calling it a “complete waste of resources”.

He said: “You can’t cut 100 cops and then start talking about spending hundreds of thousands of pounds on a rebrand.”

Mr Commons said money would need to be spent on vehicle livery, paperwork, uniform, leaflets and signage if the name was changed.

“It would be an enormous operation to rebrand the force, and from my point of view, it is a nonsense,” he added.

“If we have got money to spend, it needs to go on equipment, training, vehicles, Taser capacity. If you were to ask the public, they would want us engaging with the communities, driving down knife crime, violent crime.

“It has made me angry. In the list of priorities in the policing world, I am just astounded that this has been suggested.”

The survey can be responded to at: https://www.leics.pcc.police.uk/Have-Your-Say/Consultations/Force-Renaming-Survey.aspx

Source: (stamfordmercury)