Council Leader Warns Larger Regional Police Forces Risk Stripping Resources from Dales Farmers

Council Leader Carl Les has issued a strong warning to the Independent Review of Police Force Structures. In evidence submitted alongside Chief Executive Richard Flinton, Councillor Les argued that merging rural forces into larger regional frameworks risks failing to recognise the specific challenges faced by fells communities. He warned that rural areas would be forced to compete for resources with major urban cities, weakening trusted local safety partnerships and diluting the focus on critical rural crimes like livestock theft, agricultural machinery raids, and fly-tipping