Concerns with Police Force Merger

That the Parliament recognises the significance of Stirling Council’s unanimous decision to support a Conservative motion expressing opposition to any merger of police forces on the grounds that local accountability, community policing and public satisfaction will be reduced; commends the enviable detection rate, widely recognised as the single most important indicator of performance, of Central Scotland Police in clearing up 61% of local crime last year compared with the Scottish average of 45%, and therefore calls on the Scottish Executive to consider the effectiveness of crime fighting, rather than bean-counting efficiency savings, as the key driver to any reform.