Police merger shelved.

A proposed merger between Bedfordshire Police and Hertfordshire Constabulary has been shelved.

Members of Bedfordshire Police Authority had agreed to begin a programme of consultation to evaluate public opinion.

The authority said it did not want to make such a huge decision without imput from local residents.

But Hertfordshire Police Authority members, independently considering the same report, voted to defer taking a decision on their preferred option until further collaboration and joint working opportunities have been considered.

This means that consultation will not take place in either county and the proposals for a merger between the …