COMMUNITIES like Evesham and the Vale are just the sort of places that will be overlooked if police forces are merged under Home Secretary Charles Clarke's according to Mid-Worcestershire MP Peter Luff.

Prime Minister Tony Blair responded to Mr Luff's Commons question about police restructuring by saying he would "listen carefully to what people say".

And Mr Luff welcomed the PM's comments, saying: "I'm absolutely clear the answer I got from the Prime Minister and the further answers he gave to David Cameron this week in Prime Minister's questions indicate he's taking a much more open-minded approach to police reform than his Home Secretary.

"I think we need to support the PM on this. Two weeks ago I thought our argument against mergers was dead in the water, now I think we actually have a chance of winning."

And Mr Luff echoed the criticism voiced by the Association of Police Authorities about the government's Police and Justice Bill.

The APA, which also opposes police mergers, criticised a proposal to give the Home Secretary the power to change the role and membership of police authorities.

"The government is secretly stealing away power from the police and giving it to the Home Secretary.

"We have a tradition in this country that the police are of us, they are from the communities they serve and aren't organs of the state.

"I'm very passionate about the whole issue of police force mergers because it's communities like Evesham and the Vale which will be overlooked by larger forces," he said.