Proposals to change the name of Leicestershire Police have been blasted by rank and file police leaders

Proposals to change the name of Leicestershire Police have been blasted by rank and file police leaders.

The county’s Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Rupert Matthews is launching a study to find out if people want the force to be retagged Leicestershire and Rutland Police.

But the controversial scheme has been branded “nonsense” by Leicestershire Police Federation chiefs.

The organisation, which represents frontline officers, says “renaming Leicestershire Police would be a complete waste of resources at a time when the force needs cops, Tasers and other equipment”.

Adam Commons, chair of the county’s Police Federation, said he was “angry” the idea was even being discussed when “there are so many more important priorities for the force”.

He hit the warpath days after Mr Matthews was slammed by his PCC predecessor Lord Willy Bach for scrapping his bold blueprint to recruit an extra 100 officers to fight crime in Harborough and across Leicestershire.

“You can’t cut 100 cops and then start talking about spending hundreds of thousands of pounds on a rebrand,” declared Mr Commons.

Cash would need to be “spent on vehicle livery, paperwork, uniform, leaflets and signage if the name was changed to Leicestershire and Rutland Constabulary, he said.

“It would be an enormous operation to rebrand the force, and from my point of view, it is a nonsense.

“If you’re going to cut numbers for officers, we are not going to be spending money on changing a name.

“Because we are going to have to spend money.

“It is not going to be free.

“Signs don’t just fall off buildings and need replacing.

“Why do we need to do this?

“I don’t understand it,” insisted Mr Commons.

“With everything that is going on in our world - the pandemic, officers getting injured, everyone worried about the increasing cost of living - this is so unimportant.

“The name cannot be a priority.

“If we have got money to spend, it needs to go on equipment, training, vehicles, Taser capacity.

“If you were to ask the public, they would want us engaging with the communities, driving down knife crime, violent crime.

“It has made me angry,” said the county’s Police Federation leader.

“In the list of priorities in the policing world, I am just astounded that this has been suggested.”

Mr Matthews, of Kibworth Beauchamp, retorted: “Rutland residents have repeatedly told me that they are disappointed not to be recognised in their police force’s name.

“Everyone is entitled to an opinion, which is exactly why I am consulting people across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland to see if they support the idea of reinstating ‘Rutland’ into the force’s name – or not.

“I will review the responses to my survey and act accordingly.”