Fears Government plans could let EXTREMISTS seize control of local police authorities

They will be able to hire and fire chief constables, dictate priorities and control parts of their funding.

Most Government targets will be dropped completely under reforms unveiled by Home Secretary Jacqui Smith.

Danger: Islamic militants who back Sharia law could take over local police authorities

Senior police figures warned yesterday there was a 'very real danger' that extremists - such as far-right activists or hardline Islamist groups - could whip up local opinion and win seats. This could raise community tensions and create massive problems for chief constables.

But ministers insisted that greater local control would return power to local communities. Home Office Minister Tony McNulty said: 'Democracy can be a risky business, I fully accept that, but we think it's worth the risk.'

The wide-ranging reforms, set out in a Green Paper, would sweep away the system of Whitehall targets, which is widely blamed for distorting policing priorities, leaving officers chasing petty offences to fill quotes. Only one - a measure of local public confidence - would remain.

Power to the people: Home Secretary Jacqui Smith will push through Government plans

After years of promises to tackle red tape, the paper also pledges to scrap forms which officers must fill in when they stop and question individuals on the street.

While police leaders broadly welcomed the plans, there was immediate criticism over the potential dangers of extremist groups gaining sway over local policing.

Under the current system the Police Authorities which oversee each of the 43 police forces are typically made up of local councillors and with independent members appointed by local panels.

The new system will see most members elected directly, possibly at the same time as council or Parliamentary elections.

There will also be directly-elected chairmen of the 370 local policing boards - known as Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships and each covering a town or district.

Chief constables will keep control of day-to- day operations, but with the Home Office relinquishing much of its central control, the local bodies will have far greater power to set policing priorities, as well as hiring and fire chief constables.

There are concerns, however, that low voter turnout could make it relatively easy for extremist groups or single-issue campaigners to hijack elections.

Bob Jones, chairman of the Association of Police Authorities, said: 'Direct elections would reintroduce party politics to local policing - this is something we know people do not want.

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'There is also a very real danger of extremists and single-issue pressure groups targeting these elections. Police authorities are currently able to operate in a non party-political way.'

There are fears that the BNP could establish a hold on some local police boards, as could hard-line Muslims promoting Sharia law.

Local Government Association leader Sir Simon Milton called the plans a 'recipe for disaster', warning that a splintering of local agendas would create confusion and a culture of ' buckpassing and blame-shifting'.

Miss Smith told MPs that removing 'top down' targets was 'a significant mark' of her trust in senior police chiefs.

Far right: The BNP, led by Nick Griffin, could establish a hold

But new national and local 'policing pledges' will set out a whole range of standards, including responding to emergencies within 15 minutes and attending non-emergency calls within 48 hours.

Police chiefs will have to hold more public meetings and publish regular information on crime patterns, including 'crime maps' plotting trends across neighbourhoods.

Shadow Home Secretary Dominic Grieve accused Miss Smith of stealing all the Green Paper's 'constructive ideas' from the Tories, adding that many had already been implemented and were being re-announced.

He added: 'I urge her to go further and steal all our proposals. She will find plagiarism pays.'

Extremists and single-issue fanatics could seize control of local policing under Government plans for directly-elected police authorities, police leaders warned yesterday.

Reforms unveiled by Jacqui Smith will hand control of police authorities - the local bodies which oversee each force - to directly elected members.

Most Home Office targets will be dropped completely leaving only one - a measure of local public confidence in each force.