NORTH Yorkshire's police force is set to disappear within two years, forced into an amalgamation of all four existing Yorkshire forces.

But the move to one regional force has been attacked by sceptics on all sides who believe it will lead a concentration of resources on big cities, with small rural communities perceived as having little or no crime or anti-social behaviour.

Home Secretary Charles Clarke announced his preference for the existing four forces in Yorkshire to merge at a meeting with the chief constables on Tuesday.

Police chiefs have until April 7 to voice any opposition, but Mr Clarke made it clear in the House of Commons that he had the power to force the changes through and would not be swayed even if a referendum showed a large majority against the proposals.

Mr Clarke said the measures were being taken because the existing forces were too small to tackle the big policing issues such as terrorism and drugs.

But they have been condemned by Skipton's Conservative MP David Curry.

He has joined with other Yorkshire MPs, including the Labour MPs for Keighley and York, Ann Cryer and Hugh Bayley, to submit a House of Commons motion calling for a federation of forces rather than a forced merger.

And the Police Federation has also voiced its misgivings.

Mr Curry said the Government had "merger mania".

"It is hell bent on making things bigger and less local. It has done exactly the same with PCTs (health service primary care trusts) and it is obsessed with the notion of capacity," said Mr Curry.

"Why, if a regional force is better, do we not have a North of England force next, and before we know where we are, we will have a national police force," he said.

"Charles Clarke should realise that it is the people's police force and not the Government's police force. Instead he is going about this like a bull - a very large bull - in a china shop.

"I cannot think of any single example where simply amalgamating wholly disparate bodies into one has brought that flexibility which we need for the police.

"I am not convinced that North Yorkshire has failed due to its size and I am not convinced that one single terrorist more will be caught because of this."

Mark Botham, chairman of the North Yorkshire Police Federation, said his organisation had raised concerns over the Government's approach to reform from the outset and the alarming haste with which it seemed to be progressing. The Police Federation has argued that the amalgamation process has not been properly costed - and that this may impact upon the taxpayer.

"It is our view that reformation on this scale should be subject to widespread public consultation," he said.

"We believe it is vital if reform is to take place that it is carried out on a basis of service effectiveness not just financial efficiency. The public must be left with an improved, more effective force that is able to provide a better service.

"We do not want to see large remote police forces that become separated from the community they serve.

"It is also vital that the welfare of both police officers and police staff is taken into consideration.

"Links between the community and fully trained police personnel must be retained, regardless of the structures put in place.

"It is important to remember that policing local, national and international borders is continuing throughout the process of amalgamations.

"We believe that a federation of forces is the best option for Yorkshire in terms of the quality and efficiency of a cost effective service."

The Home Secretary also already approved the merger of Lancashire and Cumbria.

Both forces "voluntarily" agreed to the amalgamation, which Mr Clarke described as "the only suitable option for progression".