26 May 2010
Concerns over Police Commissioners
Chair of South Wales Police Authority, Councillor Russell Roberts, said: “The proposed introduction of Police Commissioners by the new Government is a source of huge concern.
“The Government has publicly stated that Commissioners will be brought in across the country, but has given no information as to how this would work in practice. For example, South Wales Police covers seven council areas. Does that mean that there will be one Commissioner, or seven? If there is one Commissioner, how will the Government ensure that areas with a smaller electorate, for example Merthyr Tydfil, aren’t disadvantages over those with a bigger electorate, such as Swansea or Cardiff?
“As a Police Authority, we are dedicated to ensuring that politics stays well and truly out of policing – this is the only way that an effective police service can be provided to our communities. British policing is admired across the world. One reason for this is that it is non-political. By having directly elected representatives, politics will be placed firmly at the heart of policing. The Home Secretary herself said that she wanted to keep politics out of policing. It is difficult to see how this is possible with a directly elected Commissioner.
“Further to this, the Home Secretary has said that she wants to maintain the operational independence of the Chief Constable. This is something we as a Police Authority support. However, it is unclear how this would work with the introduction of a Police Commissioner. For example, if a Commissioner is publicly elected with a mandate of bringing an additional 300 police officers on the street, and the Chief Constable says this would be impossible to achieve, what would happen then?
“There are also the concerns relating to the cost of running the elections, and how these will be funded, the possibility of political extremists getting into power due to low electoral turnout rates and the management of public expectations in terms of the role and responsibilities of the Commissioner.
“From the information that has been given on the proposals to date, it could be said that the Government do not fully understand the role of the Police Authority and the Chief Constable. It will be interesting to see what the full proposals say once they are published – the devil, as they say, is in the detail.”