Shrinking police forces may share top officer

South Yorkshire Police is prepared to pay its neighbour Humberside Police about 5,400 a month to share the services of assistant chief officer (ACO) Ian Watson.

Mr Watson would remain a Humberside Police employee but would split his time equally between the two forces, offering guidance to senior officers and police authorities.

South Yorkshire Police Authority members baulked at the cost when they were asked to consider appointing a full-time ACO for human resources two months ago.

But Chief Constable Meredydd Hughes will tomorrow attempt to convince them that Mr Watson's appointment would help modernise the force "to meet the needs of the 21st century".

In a report to the authority, Mr Hughes argues the move could help South Yorkshire emulate the achievements of Humberside, which is on course to reduce its human resources costs by more than 30 per cent.

But he denies the move is a "prelude" to a formal merger between the two forces.

Mr Watson said his proposed dual role had been endorsed by Humberside Chief Constable Tim Hollis and Humberside Police Authority and would help deliver greater "collaboration, harmonisation and convergence" in HR across the region.

Government plans to cut the policing budget by a fifth in real terms by 2015 have put both forces under pressure.

Voluntary redundancies are under way at Humberside and the South Yorkshire force is in talks with its governing authority about creating a staff severance scheme.