Elected police chiefs will bring 'uncertainty'

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath writes for ePolitix.com ahead of his question on elected police commissioners.

The government is proposing legislation for elected police commissioners and a bill is expected in the Commons soon.

This foolish policy raises real concerns about the politicisation of the police and their operational independence. It ignores the concerns of both police chiefs and rank and file police officers.

There are real dangers. What if an extremist candidate was elected? Will candidates run on populist manifestos that distort police priorities? How will the operational independence of chief constables be upheld if the commissioners have hire and fire powers?

US experience is not encouraging. Nor was the uneasy relationship between Mayor Boris Johnson and the former Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Sir Ian (now Lord) Blair in London.

The government has already had to react to concerns by putting forward a complex system of checks and balances.

In the Home Office document Policing in the 21st Century, ministers say they want to create police and crime panels of elected councillors and independent members to review decisions of the police commissioners. They will have powers to summon the commissioner, hold confirmation hearings for the appointment of the chief constable, and power to trigger a referendum on the policing precept recommended by the commissioner.

The problem is that in acknowledging the potential dangers of its creation, the government's answer is to establish a very bureaucratic process where lines of accountability are blurred to the extreme.

The police face many challenges, not least with huge budget cuts. The last thing they need is the uncertainty and risk that elected commissioners will bring.

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