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Elected police chiefs 'will cost an extra £100m'
21 Sep 2010Directly elected police commissioners will cost an extra £100 million over the next five years - the equivalent of 600 police officers' salaries, the Association of Police Authorities claimed today.
The APA, which represents the authorities that will be replaced by the commissioners under the plans, said it was “unconvinced that this is a price the public are willing to pay”.
It added that Ipsos Mori research showed the public do not want any individual to be responsible for policing to have an “obvious political allegiance”.
Rob Garnham, chairman of the APA, said: “Police authorities are not convinced that there is a public appetite for the significant changes to police governance currently being proposed by the Government, including the introduction of police and crime commissioners.”
He expressed concern that the Government failed to identify the financial costs of introducing the new commissioners at a time of financial crisis.
“It is imperative to understand what the costs will be, so that everyone can be sure the benefit derived from any changes outweighs the costs,” he said.
A cost analysis commissioned by the APA found that the new structure of directly elected commissioners and local police and crime panels will cost £453 million over the five years from 2011-12 to 2015-16, based on current assumptions.
This involves a four-yearly election cost of £64 million and transition costs of £12 million, it said.
The current police authorities would cost £352 million, with only one election in the five-year period, a difference of £101 million.
“Police authorities remain unconvinced that this is a price the public are willing to pay for changes that would see oversight of policing move to the hands of a single individual,” Mr Garnham said.
But he agreed that there is “much to do to improve policing across England, Wales and Northern Ireland to ensure that the service continues to meet the requirements of communities in the 21st century”.
The Ipsos Mori researchers, commissioned by the APA, carried out workshops in each police force area in August and found a “strong preference for a visible and named figurehead for police accountability in each area”.
But this should not be someone with “an obvious political allegiance” and only a minority of participants wanted an individual who would be solely responsible for holding the police to account, the researchers said.
A Home Office spokesman said: “Police authorities don't work - only 7% of the public has ever even heard of them. We are determined to hand back power to the people and will work hard to ensure a new, more democratically accountable system costs no more than police authorities do now.”
Reader views (6)
Civil servants should stay independent and non political on pain of dismissal...
...and who is going to dismiss them if the political leaning they demonstrate is towards those who have the power to dismiss them? It would be a little like asking a local if they can hear a local accent in someone's speech vs one from another region of the country - a lot harder to detect.
- Rogan, Irving, 21/09/2010 17:27
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Kev
If we don't like them we can sack them and I don't think candidates will line up on party lines. I would vote for the best person whatever party or no party.
It'll be the end of people being prosecuted for defending themselves in their own home.
There will be at least some police on the streets.
There will be less red tape, more efficiency and less laziness.
There will be more emphasis on targeting the crimes voters want to be targeted.
There will be more emphasis on victims and less emphasis on health and safety.
Motorists will be less targeted.
There will be no complacency.
OK maybe it's a dream but it's worth trying and it works in the US.
- Stephen C, London, 21/09/2010 11:41
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Stephen C, London, Wow man,you still believe politicians! Its a dangerous move to politicize the police, there going to be in some bodies pocket,dont for one minute think its going to be your or ours matey!
- Kev, London-UK, 21/09/2010 10:59
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@Peter, Battersea
"And think of the financial scandals to come; vested interest providing political funds to get Police commissioners in their pockets."
And of course there are no corrupt councillors?
- Victor Meldrew, EU Sector 115, 21/09/2010 10:21
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I look forward to being able to fire my police chief if he/she is wasteful or doesn't do a good job.
Interesing to see the old vested interests getting scared and therefore trying to scare us with this extra £100m over 5 years, well they would say that wouldn't they.
Wouldn't it have been good to be able to vote Ian Blair out?
Power to the people, not to the unsackable bureaucrats.
- Stephen C, London, 21/09/2010 10:06
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Why would we want politicised police or any civil servants? The job is to provide impartial service and it has to be performed by the most able person. Do we want the corrupt system that the USA has where legal judgements are determined by the Judges party policy? Its all very claiming that this would democratise the police force, when we all know that once we elect the MP's they follow the party line.
And think of the financial scandals to come; vested interest providing political funds to get Police commissioners in their pockets.
Civil servants should stay independent and non political on pain of dismissal and concentrate on long term planning, not the next election.
- Peter, Battersea, 21/09/2010 09:35
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