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Police Restructuring

: The hon. Gentleman is absolutely right. Let us remember that, unfortunately, the Met had been tailing those who were involved in the attacks for some time before 7 July. The Government are hiding behind a smokescreen in relation to terrorism and organised crime. Expertise is available. The hon. Member for Winchester (Mr. Oaten) talked about extending SOCA, which I agree would be sensible, but whenever a terrorist incident has occurred, advice has been readily available within forces and from co-operative neighbouring forces. I do not buy the Government’s argument in that respect. When the Home Secretary and the Prime Minister tried to persuade the House on the 90-day custody question, they did so on the basis of a conclusive case produced by the police—an expert case and one that was, to use the Prime Minister’s words, ““overwhelming”” and ““conclusive.”” The same police experts are definitely opposed to a hurried, half-baked reorganisation that has much to do with tightening the Home Secretary’s stranglehold on a single police force in Wales, rather than dealing with four. Many of us are fearful: we remember the policing of the miners’ strike.