A NORTH Yorkshire MP has warned the county's police authority could be left "high and dry" unless they rethink controversial force mergers.

Selby MP John Grogan spoke out after Home Secretary John Reid said the speed of police force mergers in some parts of England and Wales is to slow down in the face of opposition.

In his first speech to senior police officers since taking over at the Home Office, Dr Reid, said the existing 43-force structure could not stay in place.

He said the merger process could begin as early as July for forces which wish to go ahead, but he indicated that there could be a "slightly different pace" in areas where police leaders have yet to be persuaded of the benefits.

That could mean a delay to the potential merger of the four forces in the Yorkshire and Humberside region, after the police authorities in West and South Yorkshire and Humberside all rejected the plans.

North Yorkshire Police Authority (NYPA) alone agreed to the merger, though members sought assurance from the Government on certain issues.

Mr Grogan said: "This is the first sign of a rethink. To force these changes through Parliament, there would have to be a vote in the House of Commons on each order, and I don't think it's clear that the Home Secretary can get a majority.

"If he is having a rethink then perhaps NYPA should be having a rethink too, because they are in danger of being left high and dry by changing circumstances, because clearly the situation is a lot more fluid now than it was a couple of weeks ago."

Dr Reid told the Association of Chief Police Officers' annual conference in London that he was willing to "stand back a little" amid concerns that the speed and structure of the merger programme did not give local police sufficient flexibility.

He said: "The status quo is not an option.

"I know the destination that we want to arrive at. What we have to do is work out how we complete that journey."

Police forces which have volunteered to merge with their neighbours could be given priority to go ahead earlier than others, said the Home Secretary.

Dr Reid said: "We have a Parliamentary recess which begins at the end of July.

"I think we will have started the process by then - for some of the people anyway."

NYPA declined to comment.

Mark Botham, chairman of the North Yorkshire branch of the Police Federation welcomed Dr Reid's comments.

He said: "At last we can have a meaningful discussion and dialogue over some of the detail, which has been neglected in the indecent haste to push forward with mergers."

Updated: 08:35 Saturday, May 27, 2006