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Human Rights

I will pass on the hon. Gentleman's repeated acceptance of that apology and I am sure that my hon. Friend the Member for Gedling will be pleased. I am pleased that Kent police published the ACPO review into Kingsnorth and that the HMIC has picked up on the lessons in its report, "Adapting to Protest—Nurturing the British Model of Policing". Indeed, Kent police are holding a symposium on public order next month to learn the lessons. I am sure the hon. Member for Cambridge will be interested in the outcome of that. The hon. Gentleman was critical of ACPO and asked whether it should continue to exist in its current form. We believe strongly that ACPO is an important part of the policing landscape. We welcome the fresh thinking from HMIC and the new president of ACPO and his team on ACPO's role and on how ACPO can have the best possible partnerships with the Home Office and the Association of Police Authorities. We look forward to discussing any formal proposals that emerge from ACPO in due course. Parliament will have a role in any such proposals. The hon. Gentleman also raised concerns about whether ACPO is accountable enough. Constitutionally, ACPO is part of the tripartite leadership for policing. It words in partnership with Government and the Association of Police Authorities to co-ordinate the direction and development of the service. It is not anomalous, but fits into a well-worn structure that brings together the key leads of the 43 police forces in England and Wales so that there are common standards. It is an independent organisation made up of representatives of the 43 police forces. ACPO is instrumental in advising the Government on how to tackle serious and ongoing threats that put the public at risk. As such, on behalf of the whole service, it leads on the executing of major national projects aimed at developing the capacity of the service to meet the challenges of the rapidly changing world. Although policing is not my main area of work in the Home Office, I do work with ACPO leads. As a Minister, it is helpful to have access to experts in the area who have ready access to a network of other experts in the field. That enables Ministers to receive good advice from people who know what it is like to be a working police officer. It is important to have that mix and not just to make decisions from behind the Minister's desk in Whitehall, as the hon. Member for Bury St. Edmunds characterised it. The hon. Member for Cambridge raised the issue of the police's role in relation to the media. The Joint Committee took evidence which showed that the police give the media measured briefings. I therefore disagree with his characterisation. I see that he disagrees with me.