Where's the logic?

One question that keeps returning to the lips of politicans and journalists during this terrible story
is "How can a tiny police force like Suffolk handle such a large case?" "Wouldn't a merged East Anglian force be more efficient?"

Well, at the moment Suffolk is able (and is doing) to call neighbouring forces for any help they require. If the forces had been merged considering one of the arguments in favour of merger (the main one in fact) was economies of scale if anything they'd have to go even further afield to find the manpower they needed since departments would have been merged and cut and officers would have been redeployed all in the name of effiency.

Still it wouldn't surprise me if this was the news story required to reignite the debate.