If its Good Enough for Londoners its Good Enough for Us!
Policing is not a political matter it is a matter of democracy the policing in this country is well established as policing by consent. Police officers are civilians in uniform. However some police officers in their quasi military gear and uniforms appear to have moved away from that concept. The US may have “Batman Utility Belts” for its officers, however they do not have the fondness for flack jacketed officers in day glow or black ninja suits our chief constables appear to be fond of kitting officers out in? I regularly see officers with their trousers tucked into their boots paratrooper style.
In London the Mayor (Boris Johnson) is also the Chair of the Police Authority. I was to see my police headed by an elected person who will have a clear mandate to fight crime. A visibly democratically elected police chief can achieve a balance between the Police Constabulary (sorry service is to wishy washy a word for me), the home office; but more importantly local accountability to the people it is protecting.
The policing priorities should be set jointly by the people and the police. Senior officers and their operational decisions and priorities should be challenged and scrutinised by the people via their directly and democratically elected leader. I do not believe that the current Police Authorities are in Touch with the people that the current force serves. Elected councillors 9 in the case of Wiltshire Constabulary (Sorry like other services forces it has recently changed its name to the more trendy one of Police) and 8 appointed independents including a magistrate, 17 in total. http://www.wiltshire-pa.gov.uk/index.php?option=com_contact&view=category&catid=12&Itemid=59 I have been unable to vote directly for any of them to represent my views, thankfully all that is about to change.
I want a ferocious elected representative that will advocate for me a member of the public. I want to see them be compelled to engage with the public and to deal effectively with the public’s ”Satisfaction Level” of the police and allow the IPCC to get on with dealing with the most serious complaints. The elected role is not about micro management of the police there are those already there doing it. The HMI should be allowed to inspect the police and report back to the elected “Boss”. That is what they are skilled at; inspecting the police so let them just get on with it.
Holding the head of the operational side of the police to account will be easier as the public will know who is responsible for doing it, as they will have elected that person. That is why I was concerned when I read of democratically elected members one Cllr Ford a member of the current police authority (who is appointed by the leader of the council to represent Swindon ) warning of the pitfall of having a directly democratically elected police commissioner/chief. I thought as democratically elected councillors they would have welcomed a directly elected commissioner/chief constable.
That is why I am possibly so surprised by the statements they have made about the changes to policing here: http://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/news/8302225.Police_changes_are_under_fire/
Cllr Montaut must know that of 17 members on the authority which meets in Devizes Swindon has 3 members is he really trying to say that 3 Swindon Cllrs can influence 14 others? I hope that he is right and Labour will not become politically involved, which can be achieved very easily if he and the Swindon Labour group who appear to agree with him will not support or put forward a Labour candidate. (I dont think he is indicating that The Labour Party will not be putting up a candidate in Wiltshire in the article?) The Conservatives and LibDems (who are now joined by a marriage of convenience) along with other parties will certainly do so.
Personally I hope that politics will be kept out of policing let the people decide and I hope they have an Independent elected as commissioner/chief constable. It could be very interesting.
Here is Geoff Reid’s view and as ever with Geoff he is quite thought provoking http://www.geoffreid.com/?p=497
Miscellaneous | Councillor Steve Wakefield | 
July 31, 2010 8:18 am
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