Cleveland Police Authority Chair, Councillor Dave McLuckie, who will speaking tomorrow at a major conference on the future of policing, has welcomed the stinging attack by a fellow speaker on Government plans to introduce US-style elected police commissioners.
Former senior New York Prosecutor Jessica de Grazia has warned that there is always a higher risk of corruption when police are placed under the direct control of an elected politician—and says the Government’s plans do not include measures to prevent it.
Home Secretary Theresa May has cited New York as a model for reducing crime and Policing Minister Nick Herbert has met with commissioners in the city but Jessica de Grazia warns that ‘You don’t have to have elected commissioners to cut crime—it’s a mistake to equate the two. The worst-case scenario from the plans is that the professionalism of the police could be downgraded and that could cause corruption and the public to lose confidence in the police.’
She says that she has been approached by a number of senior veteran CID commanders who had experienced corruption at first hand and were ‘horrified’ by giving commissioners the power to hire and fire Chief Constables.
Councillor McLuckie say Ministers, including the Policing Minister, who will also be speaking at the conference, should take note of warnings from Jessica Grazia and the growing tide of criticism over the commissioner proposals.
He explained “Here is someone with an impeccable track record and with huge experience—becoming Manhattan’s most senior non-elected law officer in charge of 400 lawyers, fraud investigators and prosecutors—making clear her very serious concerns.
“It really is time the Government—and indeed all MPs—recognised that this ill-conceived, hurried, expensive and unwanted idea is deeply flawed and that they should go back to the drawing board.
“Apart from the fears highlighted by Jessica de Grazia, it is little short of scandalous that, at a time when every force across the country is facing massive cutbacks—according to the Association of Chief Police Officers 12,000 officer posts and 16,000 staff jobs will be lost over the next four years—it is being proposed that huge amounts of money, including £50million for elections and salaries for commissioners of £122,000—should be squandered on something for which there is no evidence whatsoever of real public support.”