Police changes are under fire (From Swindon Advertiser)

Police changes are under fire

8:50pm Thursday 29th July 2010 in

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SWINDON councillors have criticised Government plans to shake-up the policing in England and Wales.

Coun Brian Ford (Con), who is vice-chairman of Wiltshire Police Authority, said he was ‘totally opposed’ to the plans.

And Swindon council’s Labour group leader, Coun Derique Montaut, called the move ‘unnecessary’ and said it risked ‘politicising’ the police force.

Home Secretary Theresa May announced on Monday that police authorities would be scrapped and instead from May 2012 elected police commissioners would have the power to hire and fire chief constables. People would also be able to vote for locally-elected officials to oversee each police force.

Wiltshire Police Authority is made up of 17 members. Six councillors are appointed by Wiltshire Council; three councillors appointed by Swindon council and eight independent members (one of whom is a magistrate) .

Coun Montaut, a former member of Wiltshire Police Authority, said: “It is the Swindon Labour group’s belief that politicising the police force would be wrong for Swindon and wrong for the country.

“What these proposals mean for Swindon is that we will have an elected police commissioner for just Wiltshire, who will be sat in Devizes concentrating on rural issues that face the rest of the county.

“Of course, Swindon has a completely different set of problems to Wiltshire but we will not be able to get our voices heard because the police commissioner will be representing the whole of the county.

“During a period of low crime my fear is that these proposals will lead to the police taking their eye off the ball in thinking about how they can maintain and even further reduce current levels in crime.”

He said that during his time on Wiltshire Police Authority he was able to see first hand how the police could be held to account on behalf of the people of Swindon in ‘a non-politicised way’.

Coun Ford said he also believed the proposals were flawed.

He said: “I’m totally opposed to the Conservative proposals and I was actually part of a delegation of a dozen members of the Association of Police Authorities who went to Portcullis House about 18 months ago to see the then shadow Home Secretary and Police Minister and spent three hours arguing very strongly against having Police Commissioners.

“I find it difficult to understand how one person can do what 17 are at the moment and if one person does do the job they will probably get additional officer assistance which will cost money.

“I think it could end up costing the country tens of millions.”

Wiltshire Police declined to comment on the proposals.