The four Conservative MPs Philip Dunne (Ludlow), Daniel Kawczynski (Shrewsbury & Atcham), Owen Paterson (North Shropshire) and Mark Pritchard (The Wrekin) issued their call after meeting Shropshire division police chiefs in Shrewsbury.
Mr Dunne said: "We had a very good discussion and were left in no doubt that senior officers in Shropshire are extremely concerned about these plans. We have each agreed to consult officers locally within our constituencies to gauge views from those on the front-line of neighbourhood policing."
This call comes as new figures published by the Government reveal that the police levy on Shropshire's council tax bills has increased by a massive 194% since 1997. It is predicted that bills could soar even further to pay for the police force reorganisation, since the costs of the new offices, management consultants and IT systems will have to be met from existing Home Office budgets which are being frozen from next year, threatening cuts in police grants.
Mr Dunne explained:
"We already knew that Labour's fiddled funding has forced local councils to whack up council tax bills. Here in Shropshire we are paying almost double what is being paid in West Midlands, with a Band D property paying a police precept of £150 compared to £88 in Birmingham. We fear the Government's plans to abolish West Mercia Police could push up bills even more or mean cuts in frontline policing as resources are shifted towards Metropolitan areas.
"The rationale for minimum size for a strategic force was the arbitrary figure of 4,000 officers. Both Kent and Hampshire now seem set to gain strategic force status yet avoid being merged into a larger force, but both forces are well below this number of officers. West Mercia has better crime performance than either of these forces, yet it is being forced into merger with worse performing forces.
"Regional forces will cost hundreds of millions, erode local accountability and further increase the inept interference of Whitehall. These cuts are being forced through without the backing of the public - by a Government that has lost the support of the British people and now by a Minister who has just presided over the shambles in the Immigration Directorate. It does not inspire confidence that Ministers know what they are doing.
"Local people should have their say in a referendum. Given the chance, we believe they would overwhelmingly reject these cuts, just as John Prescott's regional assemblies were thrown out in the 2004 North East referendum."
