Murder squad to be merged

An elite team of detectives responsible for investigating murders and other major crimes will be merged with other units to save money.
Assistant Chief Constable Craig GuildfordAssistant Chief Constable Craig Guildford
Assistant Chief Constable Craig Guildford

West Yorkshire Police’s Homicide and Major Enquiry Team (HMET) will become part of the force’s larger Protective Services Crime Department.

The previously separate Crime and Operations teams will also join the unit when it comes into force in April.

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Bosses, who are trying to make up to £154 million in savings between 2010 and 2017, say the move will ensure greater co-ordination across the force and help staff become skilled in other areas of policing.

Assistant chief constable Craig Guildford said: “By bringing the teams together there is opportunity to reduce some of the senior management and other overheads and also some of the administrative processes and therefore, we will be able to increase our capacity to deal with that broader range of offending with a leaner but even more effective resource.”

Nick Smart of West Yorkshire’s Police Federation, said some concerns about the changes had been raised.

But he added: “As long as the operational capacity is not impacted and front end delivery is not diminished we will support whatever is done, because we know the chief constable has to make savings.”

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HMET, a specialist team of elite detectives, was created in 2006 to investigate all murders and other high-profile crimes.

Police and crime commissioner Mark Burns-Williamson said: “I want to reassure people that these new developments are about effectively delivering the already nationally recognised quality of major crime investigations in West Yorkshire.”