---

Police and Justice Bill

Of course the Government should take notice of local referendums, but they did not do that in relation to the referendum on the elected regional assembly for the north-east. In spite of the overwhelming no vote by local people, the Government have continued with their objective of regional government by stealth. The creation of regional police forces is partly a step in that direction. Secondly, instead of police chiefs being made to answer to the Home Secretary, they should be made formally accountable to local communities, via mayors, elected police commissioners or sheriffs, or directly elected police authorities. Indeed, the Government proposed directly elected police authorities in 2003, describing them as"““a ‘pure’ form of local democracy—creating a direct, transparent link between communities and the police board.””" What happened to that proposal? The operational independence of the police should be defined and protected. Local politicians should under no circumstances be permitted to direct the arrest of an individual or the initiation of a prosecution. However, they should be empowered to set strategic objectives for the police and to ensure that the objectives are met. Regardless of whether police forces are accountable locally or nationally, independent and transparent inspection of their performance will still be important.