POLICE chiefs met to discuss the future of forces in the area and what form impending restructuring should take.

Chief Constables and Police Authority Chairs and Chief Executives from Warwickshire, West Midlands, West Mercia and Staffordshire met for the first time on Thursday to share their thoughts on how the police service should be reorganised in the region.

The Chairs of the Police Authorities said by the end of this month, forces will have submitted their restructuring options to the Home Office and they felt it was important to meet at an early stage to establish common ground and share ideas.

They said by early November they would have a clear direction from the Home Secretary on the way forward and would then take any opportunity to work together on preparing plans for the future.

Plans to restructure Warwickshire's police force have already been presented to the county council.

Warwickshire's chief constable John Burbeck said: "We know we cannot remain the same and we see this very much as an opportunity to move policing forward for the benefit of our communities."

A series of public consultations will be held to discover the views of the general public, and the force will have to present initial ideas to the Home Office by the end of October, and more developed ideas by the end of December.