Elected Police Chiefs

Glass House Sat Feb 17, 2007 at 08:13:57 PM GMT Print-friendly version Facebook

Would electing police chiefs lead to better policing?



Inspired by (unfortunately) David Cameron's speech today, I just thought I ask what everyone thinks of the idea of elected police chiefs?

Are they a way to make police more responsive to local communities?

Would they just lead to the most right-wing nutcase being put in charge? (Who'd vote for "soft on crime")

Would people not bother to come out and vote? Or would something as fundamentally local as local policing actually increase turnout?

I have to admit that I've been interested in the idea for a while but I wouldn't say I'm "for it"

What does everyone think?


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Elected Police Chiefs | 12 comments (12 topical)

Re: Elected Police Chiefs (#1)

by Glass House on Sat Feb 17, 2007 at 08:15:10 PM GMT

Sorry - just realised that it's a Cameron interview, not a speech. Not that it make the slightest bit of difference.


Re: Elected Police Chiefs (#2)

by JR on Sat Feb 17, 2007 at 08:29:09 PM GMT

I think it's a ridiculous idea. Who honestly cares who their police chief is? I certainly don't.

The police aren't supposed to have 'policies' or 'agendas' - they're just supposed to do their job and that is to tackle crime as the government of the day sets out.

Next he'll be telling us that we should elect the generals in the army.


Re: Elected Police Chiefs (#3)

by Glass House on Sat Feb 17, 2007 at 08:34:36 PM GMT

Dont you think that the "government of the day" controlling things from whitehall is too distant?

There's more than one way to fight crime. Shouldn't that decision be made at a local level, where all the local circumstances are known? And isn't an elected head of police the best way to do this?


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Re: Elected Police Chiefs (#4)

by JR on Sat Feb 17, 2007 at 08:38:49 PM GMT

I don't think it should be from Whitehall. If actual English devolution took place and each region had it's own assembly and executive then they could organise tackling crime themselves without Whitehall interference.

If we have elections for police chiefs, nobody will bother voting in them and it will turn a serious, supposedly politically-neutral job into an expensive popularity contest where a right-wing Daily Mail reader gets in every time. Not a good idea in my view.


[ Parent ]

Re: Elected Police Chiefs (#5)

by Glass House on Sat Feb 17, 2007 at 08:45:30 PM GMT

Unfortunatly, regional devolution is off the agenda now and we have to make do with what we've got.

Isn't it possible that a Daily Mail reader being elected, failing miserably and being replaced by a more effective liberal-leaning representative would be the best way to demonstrate to the electorate the superiority of our way of fighting crime?


[ Parent ]

Re: Elected Police Chiefs (#6)

by JR on Sat Feb 17, 2007 at 09:08:24 PM GMT

If any potential police chief ran with a philosophy of 'being light-handed towards criminals' they would get laughed out of the hall on election night I'm afraid. People like their leaders to be tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime. Leaders who follow that line, tend to do very well when it comes to election time.


[ Parent ]

Re: Elected Police Chiefs (#7)

by Glass House on Sat Feb 17, 2007 at 09:19:05 PM GMT

Your point?


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Re: Elected Police Chiefs (#8)

by JR on Sat Feb 17, 2007 at 09:31:05 PM GMT

Well...that liberal leaning police chiefs won't win many elections.


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Re: Elected Police Chiefs (#9)

by Glass House on Sat Feb 17, 2007 at 09:34:01 PM GMT

why? they elected labour under "tought on crime, tough on the causes of crime"


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Re: Elected Police Chiefs (#10)

by JR on Sat Feb 17, 2007 at 11:56:50 PM GMT

Exactly! That's what I said.

I said liberal leaning police chiefs wouldn't get elected. Labour certainly isn't liberal on crime, or at least aren't perceived to be.


[ Parent ]

Re: Elected Police Chiefs (#11)

by bornin84 on Sun Feb 18, 2007 at 05:26:09 PM GMT

I don't see how one elected person would necessarily do anything more/be any better than the current police authorities and CDRPs.

Cameron said: "And so we've said why not replace the police authorities with a single elected police commissioner, not a police chief - he or she wouldn't run the police - but they would be the chief focus for public accountability."

So he doesn't want to give the individual any particular extra powers. Sounds like another idea just to get him more coverage on TV.


It must be worth a try at least (#12)

by Mark Wadsworth on Mon Feb 19, 2007 at 08:40:28 PM GMT

It is impossible to say one way or other.

So why not allow local authorities to put the police chief's job out to the vote. Some will, some won't. Of those who put it out to the vote, some will find that policing gets better, some worse.

Of those that don't, some councils will get chucked out becauae their voters want at least the power to chuck out an incompetent polic chief. Others won't because the electorate are perfectly happy with their local council and their local police chief and so on.

But it must be worth a try.


Elected Police Chiefs | 12 comments (12 topical)