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Police Restructuring

If I am genuinely second to none in the admiration of my hon. Friend, I am in real trouble. [Interruption.] That is exactly the point coming from those on the Opposition Front Bench. I have rejected from the outset the suggestion of a national police force. Some serious organisations—the Police Superintendents Association, for example—have proposed that such a force be established. I think that that would be a dangerous development given the spirit of the police in this country, who have always relied on the principle of consent and on the operational independence of chief constables. Were there to be a national force, as there is in some other countries, there would be an entirely unhealthy relationship between Ministers and the operational commander of such a force. I have opposed the concept from the outset for that reason, so there is no plan to take that course. I give my hon. Friend that assurance.