The organisation representing rank-and-file police officers has been urged to make clear to the new Home Secretary the ‘overwhelming’ opposition across the entire police service to putting police forces under the control of a single individual.
With Theresa May due to speak to today’s conference of the Police Federation, Cleveland Police Authority Chair, Councillor Dave McLuckie, has written to the Federation’s Chairman Paul McKeever expressing his hope that they will make clear to the Minister that having a single elected individual—with the power to set budgets and determine strategy—is ‘a very bad idea which will do nothing to improve either accountability or the quality of service to the public—but could cause enormous damage to the principles which make British Policing the envy of the world.’
Explained Councillor McLuckie “In view of the fact that the Federation has the opportunity to hear from—and question—the new Home Secretary so soon after the Election I believe they have a real opportunity to make clear that the opposition to the idea of single person control is felt in every part of the policing ‘family’—including the President of the Association of Chief Police Officers, the current and previous Metropolitan Police Commissioners, the police superintendents’ association, police authorities...and the bobbies on the beat.
“Indeed there is no evidence that the idea is widely supported within the coalition government given that the proposal is in total contrast to the long-stated policy and manifesto commitment of the Liberal Democrats to strengthen the role of police authorities and the warning only a few months ago from their then Home Affairs spokesman Chris Hulne—now a Cabinet colleague of Theresa May—that ‘plans to politicise control of the police will lead to populist pandering of the worst kind.’