APA CALLS ON PARLIAMENT TO FIGHT POLICING SELL-OUT
The APA today calls on MPs to fight the Home Secretary’s attempt to bully and bribe police authorities into abolishing their local police forces.
MPs will debate force merger proposals on Monday (19 December). In an open letter to all MPs, APA Chairman, Bob Jones says:
“The Home Secretary is blatantly trying to bribe and bully us into abolishing local police forces. That is disgraceful. Police authorities are outraged by the suggestion that they can be bought off. Policing is crucial to the safety and protection of our all our communities. It is not for sale.
All we want is:
- Enough time to make sure that local people have their say before we take any decisions which could radically change the face of local policing.
- Agreement that the Government - not local council tax payers -stumps up the costs of setting up any new “super forces”.
- Agreement that local people will still have a real say in their policing if new super-forces are created
- an opportunity to see if we can achieve the same results without this upheaval.
We don’t think that is a lot to ask. Our police forces have been in place for 30 years. We should not just abolish them in the space of a few weeks.
We are certainly not going to be bullied or bribed into doing what the Home Secretary wants.”
In a letter to all MPs, the APA says that police authorities have worked constructively with the Home Secretary to try to find the right answers for local policing in their areas. And it makes clear that police authorities are committed to making sure that local people are protected from counter-terrorism and other serious threats. But it questions whether policing which is controlled from remote centres and out of touch with its communities is the right answer when other ways of getting the same results have not been properly looked at.
The APA had told the Home Secretary that no police authority will meet his demand for definite merger proposals by 23 December. The Home Secretary’s response was to offer money to those prepared to sign up for abolition of their forces on 23 December. Money that would then be taken away from those not prepared to sign up.
Police authorities are outraged at the idea that they can be bought off in this way, rather than make the best decisions on behalf of their communities about local policing.
ENDS
Notes to Editors
- For further information please contact: Fionnuala Gill (Tel: 020 7664 3167, mobile 07956 859543), or email fionnuala.gill@lga.gov.uk
Notes for Editors
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The Association of Police Authorities (APA) represents all 44 police
authorities in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Local police authorities,
along with the Home Secretary and chief officers of police, make up the
tripartite relationship which is responsible for the governance of policing in
England and Wales.
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Police authorities are made up of local people comprising a mixture of
councillors, magistrates and independent members. Police Authorities are
responsible for
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setting the budget for their police force, including raising local council
taxes for policing consulting and engaging with local communities to find out
what they want the local police to tackle
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setting the strategic direction for policing locally, deciding local priorities
for policing and setting their force challenging targets to drive performance
higher
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appointing (and, if necessary, dismissing) the chief officer
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monitoring and managing local police performance.
17/12/2005
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