A YORKSHIRE-wide merger of police diving units across the county was being launched today.

The merger involving North Yorkshire, Humberside, South Yorkshire and West Yorkshire forces aims to save £400,000 a year and will reduce the number of divers from 28 to ten. The money will be ploughed back into protecting local frontline resources.

North Yorkshire Police will retain its contracted service with its West Yorkshire counterparts, and all ten divers who remain under the shake-up will be full-time, as opposed to the current system which has five full-time divers.

Deputy Chief Constable Mark Whyman, head of collaboration for policing Yorkshire and the Humber, said: “I am confident that the public will not see any difference in service levels, and that the £400,000 saved through creating a full time team will go to support their local neighbourhood policing and response teams.”

The newly-formed Yorkshire And The Humber Underwater Search And Marine Unit, which will be based in Humberside, was launched with a demonstration dive at Hull Marina this morning.

Work on the unit began last November when the four Chief Constables agreed to the idea, after research showed the three forces with their own in-force underwater search capability, South Yorkshire Police, West Yorkshire Police and Humberside Police, together spent more than £1 million per year on maintaining the provision.

Det Chief Const Whyman said: “The new four-force underwater search capability is a welcome addition to our portfolio of operational units. Not only is it providing all four forces with access to a dedicated full time team, but costs associated with training and equipment have also been optimised so that the same level of specialist search and recovery support delivered prior to today can still be maintained.”