Merseyside Police and Wirral Council's community safety services are to come together in a united crime-busting force.

The scheme will see all town hall departments and personnel with a responsibility for community safety seconded into the new "Safer Wirral Unit."

The move is in part a response to a recent survey commissioned by the local authority which suggested anti-social behaviour was the number-one concern for householders.

A report to be discussed next week by the environment scrutiny committee sets out the proposals in some depth.

It says the new unit would include police neighbourhood officers and Merseyside fire service along with council-run functions such as community patrol, anti-social behaviour, youth offending, family safety and offender management.

Operational management of the Safer Wirral Unit will be led by Merseyside Police - but the council will have responsibility for strategy, commissioning services and providing governance.

Councillors who attended a recent workshop to learn more about the unit asked if there was a risk of police handing some of their responsibilities to council officers - such as the community patrol being asked to respond to burglary calls.

But, says the report, they were reassured "this would not happen."

However it was explained the community patrol directed by a police officer might work together in responding to "certain appropriate incidents" although it does not specify what these might be.

Another member raised concerns the proposal "appears to look like a savings option" and that clarity may be needed to show that it is "about doing the right thing with the public interest at heart and to deliver a better service."

It was acknowledged opportunities to maximise efficiency savings would be identified - but an argument was made there should not be any reference to efficiency savings within the "business case."

The head of corporate & community safety reported the council budget for the proposal is £9.400 primarily for staffing and transport costs.

No efficiency target has been agreed at this stage as preparation work would need to take place first to assess potential savings based on the final model.

When this is completed, there will be a high-profile launch promoting the Safer Wirral Unit and the numerous teams that have been seconded into it.