Last year the chief of Hampshire Police attended a Q&A session in the Council chamber. The meeting was attended by a number of Parish and Borough councillors.
The Police took some criticism that they were never seen in some of the Parishes and were to town focussed. When the Chief explained that extra police were being used in the town centre to prevent violent crime, some seemed appalled. It came to the point that one attender was arguing that the Police should be marshalling the occasionally abused disabled parking bay outside the local shop (which i accept is very annoying) rather than being in the town centre on a Saturday night, where more serious crimes were occurring.
As a town centre councillor, I tried to make the point that when people from across the borough came to the town centre on a Saturday night, it made sense for Police resources to do the same.
I am not saying the Police should ignore the rural areas, crime does happen there. But a Chief constable is able to draw on his experience, using all the data available and talking to his colleagues in neighbouring forces to know how best to use his/her resources. A Chief constable will understand the work of PPO Police, Domestic Violence units, armed response, the CPS etc. During their careers they would have worked in or with these specialist units. They'll know ehere prevention, patrolling and detection works best. Although the relationship between elected representatives could be improved, I think it makes sense for the Police to run the Police.
If the Conservatives in Government get their way, that will change next year.
Rather than the Police Chief having a link with local elected representatives from a wider background, he will work with an elected commissioner. A dangerous move.
The elected Police Commissioner in Hampshire is likely to be a Conservative or Lib Dem. A political person. That may be bearable, but with the inevitable low turnout is could be BNP or UKIP or worst of all a novelty candidate who promises to deliver the Daily Mail agenda. Is that the kind of person we want running the local force?
As we have seen from the hacking scandal. When the lines between the media, politicians and police all get blurred, anything can happen. The investigations of the police can be interfered with or open to accusation that they were. There is a real risk that the local Police force becomes the private toy soldiers of the elected person, rather than the guardians of the public and enforcers of the law.
From what I can tell. once elected, the commissioner will only be removable if the police he controls are given the resources by him to investigate and prove his wrongdoing.
Even,as is likely, the elected commissioner is an honest and fair minded sort setting out the priorities they believe to be right, there is a risk they'll have the Police concentrating on the occasionally abused disabled parking bay in the village, whilst violent crime increases in the town.
The Government make the law, the Police enforce it, a broad section of local Councillors should scrutinise their work. The Police are run by a Policeman. We should keep it that way. The Government should stop.
Do you want to spend money on more policeman or someone to who knows nothing about policing to sit behind a desk telling experience officer to do there job? I will put a poll on the blog to test opinion.
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