The potential merger of Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire's police forces has been described as 'years away' after the government raised the possibility of boundaries being changed. The East Midlands Mayor has described discussions as 'speculative' at this stage and said she is fully supportive of the current police and crime commissioners for Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire - whose roles could be scrapped under government plans.
The idea of Nottinghamshire Police and Derbyshire Constabulary being combined was first raised in 2023 at the time of the East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA) being created. The authority, led by East Midlands Mayor Claire Ward, is given millions of pounds a year by government to make decisions and invest across Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire. Given that the major authority covers both counties, some believed that combining Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire's police forces could prove a good fit. The idea has now been raised in the government's recent white paper on local government reorganisation. Along with plans to scrap borough and district councils, the document contains several plans to give elected mayors like Claire Ward more power. One example is for mayors to take on the responsibilities currently held by police and crime commissioners and fire and rescue authorities. The white paper says the government will 'explore' whether a mayor can take on the role currently held by police and crime commissioners. Nottinghamshire's first police and crime commissioner, Paddy Tipping, was elected in 2012 and the role is currently held by Gary Godden following the May 2024 local elections. The government says that it will enable police boundaries to be 'altered incidentally' if a mayor takes on police and crime commissioner responsibilities