Cornwall councillors have raised concerns about the proposed merger of Devon and Cornwall Police with Dorset Police.

The planned amalgamation of the two forces was the subject of an all member briefing this afternoon presented by Chief Constable Shaun Sawyer and Assistant Chief Constable Sharon Taylor.

Both top officers outlined the benefits of the merger which would include financial savings being reinvested into the force, helping to build on services which are already shared with Dorset and giving a greater voice to policing across the three counties.

Mebyon Kernow leader Dick Cole said that he was not convinced by the arguments and said that there should be a consideration of going back to a Cornwall police force.

However he was told that to create single county police forces would cost £100million so was not an option.

Penzance councillor Jim McKenna said that while he understood the rationale behind the planned merger there were still concerns saying that people wanted guarantees that there would be no loss of resources.

Paul Wills, councillor for St Columb Major, said he was concerned about the cost to taxpayers saying that Dorset residents pay 20% more than those in Cornwall for policing.

The officers said that there would have to be equalisation but that work and discussions were ongoing about how that would be achieved.

Councillor Ian Thomas said that he was concerned that the force would “drift away from Cornwall” if the merger went ahead and also asked whether it was a “first step to a south west regional force”.

The Chief Constable said that there would “unequivacolly not” be a drift from Cornwall. He also highlighted that there would be a police headquarters in each of the three counties to ensure that there was a presence in each area.

There was also discussion on the name of the new force with the Chief Constable suggesting that it might be better to have it alphabetically – Cornwall, Devon and Dorset Police.

Following requests from councillors the council is set to debate the proposed merger in an emergency debate which has been added to the agenda for the meeting of the full council on Tuesday.

Sue James, Cabinet member for environment and public protection, said: “The proposal to merge the two police forces of Devon & Cornwall Police and Dorset Police is of huge significance to residents in Cornwall and beyond. It is completely right that all members of Cornwall Council get the opportunity to hear first-hand from the police, in detail, what the proposals mean to residents. It is also right that Full Council get to discuss the issue at the earliest opportunity. There will be strong views on this and it is really important we understand all the issues during this period of public consultation, so that those who want to have their say, can do so with good information available.”