21 June 2012 Last updated at 16:35 ET

'Fewer PCs' after West Mercia and Warwickshire forces unite

An MP has said an alliance between West Mercia and Warwickshire Police will lead to fewer officers on the streets.

On Thursday, West Mercia Chief Constable David Shaw said about 90 PCs would be cut across the two force areas to help make savings.

Labour MP for Telford David Wright said the government had broken a promise not to reduce frontline officers.

Leader of the Commons Sir George Young said the police authorities had taken a difficult decision.

He added that the "quality and integrity" of frontline policing could be protected through "joint services" and "intelligent commissioning".

Between them the two forces said they needed to find more than £30m of savings by April 2016.

Mr Shaw said the alliance with Warwickshire Police would allow it to protect about 280 posts that would otherwise be cut.

A number of roles, such as management, admin, HR and IT are due to be shared across both forces.

In all, Mr Shaw said some 650 posts were expected to be cut, the overwhelming majority of them from support roles.