‘We have had common sense on forests and common sense on housing benefits...so let’s now see common sense on coppers.’
That was the call today from the Chair of Cleveland Police Authority, Councillor Dave McLuckie, who, said that as concerns grow across the country over the scale of cutbacks in policing, Ministers should recognise that diverting millions of pounds from front-line services to creating a new administrative structures of Commissioners and Police and Crime Panels ‘is not justified—and certainly not wanted by the public.’
Cleveland Police Authority, faced with a real terms funding reduction of £17million over the next two years...with further cuts down the line...will have to reduce its officer numbers by around 230 but nationally the total number of officer posts lost will run into many thousands.
At the same time the Government’s own figure show the cost of the first round of elections for proposed Police Commissioners would cost £50million, Commissioners would be paid £122,000 a year with the power to point assistants, and in each area two support structures would be required...one for the Commissioner and the other for the Police and Crime Panel.
Said Councillor McLuckie “We have seen indications that Ministers are prepared to listen to the common sense when it comes to abandoning plans to change ownership of forests and scrapping the idea of reducing housing benefits for the long-term unemployed.
“Now I believe it high time that they listened to the common sense messages coming from so many quarters within the police service—and from the public—that, at a time when we are facing such severe cutbacks, all available resources must be concentrated on protecting front-line policing.
“Whether or not, in a different financial climate, Commissioners and Panels might be a good idea, is not the issue—the facts are that spending money in this way, when officer cuts are being announced in every part of the country, cannot be justified...and no-one should be under any illusion that the proposed system would cost a lot more than the current police authority structure.
“There would be no disgrace in Ministers recognising that, whilst the debate over the best way of ensuring police accountability should continue, their first priority should be the same as that of the police service and our local communities...making sure we can have as many officers as possible protecting people on their streets and in their homes.
“There can be doubt that is what the public want—the recent national opinion poll should that only 27 per cent of people questioned favoured creating Commissioners and only 15 per cent believed they would help reduce crime...whilst 85 per cent wanted more police on the beat.
“So let’s have some common sense—and recognise it’s coppers not Commissioners that count as far as the public are concerned.”