PPC Janice: “Policing needs to be politicised and power given to the people”
The Conservatives announce that a Conservative government will give local people direct control over the way they are policed.
They will make each police force accountable to an individual directly elected by the citizens of the police force area. Police Commissioners would seek re-election on their record, and answer to the public for their success or failure in reducing crime. Instead of being directed and micromanaged by the Home Secretary, police forces would be directed by, and accountable to, the communities they serve.
Janice Small welcomes this announcement: “Restoring public confidence in the criminal justice system is not simply a question of making those responsible for pursuing criminals through the streets, it is about making them more accountable to the people they serve, the taxpayers.
“I recently had the pleasure of going out on patrol with the police in Batley and was astonished to find that they do not have satellite navigation in their cars. We were called away on two blue light alerts and the officer had to use his personal mobile phone satnav system to find the exact location of the call. If the taxpayers of Batley and Spen want faster a response from the police then I am sure they would authorise the purchase of satnav whilst at the same time prioritising policing which is accountable to local voters for how effectively the Police Commissioner spends the money in the fight against crime |
