Comment from Wales

A welsh commentator writes

Welsh Labour MPs have been keeping up the pressure on the Home Office over plans to create a single police force.

Not content with the delay in the merger process announced by Home Secretary John Reid earlier this week, I understand the Welsh Labour group summoned the police minister Tony McNulty to their meeting.

While they didn't get a pledge to rethink the whole plan - at least not yet - what they did get out of the meeting was a promise that Mr McNulty was genuinely intending to listen.

Wrexham MP Ian Lucas told me that it'll be the beginning of "a long-term relationship".

He's convinced that if the Home Office looks objectively at the proposals for Wales, it will become clear that a single force won't achieve what it's supposed to.

Nobody's deluding themselves - restructuring is going to happen but that doesn't mean the plans can't be changed.

Ynys Mon MP Albert Owen told me that he believes further concessions can be won if MPs, AMs and police authority members keep the pressure up but offer alternatives instead of carping from the sidelines.