TNorth West conference on re-offending / Reuters.co.uk, 10 Nov 2005

http://digbig.com/4fggr
"The 43 police forces covering England and Wales could be slashed to just 12 under proposals put forward by the government on Thursday.
Home Secretary Charles Clarke's proposals, which have been sent to all Chief Constables, suggest creating 12 regional forces or at least merging some smaller forces with their neighbours to create about 19 strategic forces.
However, in two areas -- Wales and north east England -- his plans only envisage merging all the forces to form one single unit."