7/26/2010

Party politicisation of the police ? Ridiculous

The coalition government (yes my fellow Lib Dems, we can't escape the rap for this one) are to introduce elected police commissioners, who will be party political. In other words, the police force and its policies are to become politicised in a way we have never seen before in this country.

In so many ways this an affront to the independence of the police force and digs away at the principle that the police force enforce the law by consent from the public.

It will be so easy now for people to blame the police for being political servants, enforcing the will of a given political party, and it will do nothing to raise confidence on policing.

Moreover, the principle of another (yet another) election to elect a police commissioner does little to set any pulses racing. When was the last time you heard someone on the doorstep say "What we really need around here is an elected police commissioner, an extra layer of bureaucracy, and as a result less cash for front line policing". Because this is another lay er of bureaucracy and as we all know, elections do not come cheap either !

An utterly pointless policy that heaps more expense on to the police, and inevitably means less money for front line police.

6 comments:

unseen said...

didnt the Lib Dem manifesto want to elect members of the Police Authority - so more elections, to a beefed-up politicised committee that would be responsible for policing?

What's the difference?

Nich Starling said...

More elected members on the Police Auhtority, not elections to the police authority. A big difference.

Also, these members would not be from just one party, but would represent a range of political opinion.

Anonymous said...

Hi Norfolk, It will always be difficult in the coalition, well as long as it holds.

I vote Lib Dem in Norwich South, hoping that the worst ravages of a Tory could be curtailed or moderated
but there will be issues like this

Anonymous said...

what cuts have the Lib Dems stopped ???

another load today

But Nick C said no return to Thatcher Cuts ??? I saw it on the front of the Observor

Whats going on

Anonymous said...

Volunteer police 30,000

now i hear Volunteer Teaching asst

as the Tories want to axe them

Stephen Wigmore said...

This is just madness.

Your argument is just an argument against democracy generally. God forbid those evil political parties should be in charge of things, that would ruin everything. Oh wait. I bet the lords and upper classes in the 1820's were making pretty much the same argument.

The police are already highly politicised. By being under the authority of the home secretary and because just because people aren't elected doesn't mean they don't take decisions based on political bias. Like all democracy, at least this means there will be some democratic oversight and control.

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