COUNCIL taxpayers will not want to fund any restructuring of their police force, warned Gwent's chief constable.

Mike Tonge also told a meeting of the Gwent Police Authority that the public would not accept local policing issues being undermined because of the shake-up.

Home Secretary Charles Clarke has ordered a review of police forces throughout England and Wales and is believed to favour merging the four in Wales.

Last year, the South Wales Argus launched a campaign to save Gwent Police from a merger. The campaign has received widespread support.

No announcements on the way forward are expected until the end of February or the beginning of March but a lot of work is going on in the background, said authority chief executive Shelley Besson.

Funding for the restructuring of the service is one of the potential areas of conflict.

"It has gone quiet because the government are looking very closely at the costs each region is putting forward," said Mr Tonge.

Both police authorities and chief constables had said there was a huge gap in funding at the moment.

Mr Tonge said a clear vision and proper timescales were essential.

"We don't want to restructure only to find we need to restructure again," he said.

"I'm passionate that we must not pull back from the thrust of local neighbourhood policing teams."

He also believed the public would not want the changes funded by the local precept.

"If we are going to restructure, we need to be clear why we are doing it and have the money up front to do it."

It is estimated the cost of all the mergers will be between £500 million to £600 million, according to the Association of Police Authorities.

Earlier this month Home Office minister Hazel Blears told the Welsh Affairs Select Committee there would be initial money for set up costs - £50 million this year and £70 million next year - but only for those authorities and forces that volunteer for amalgamation.