Chief constables could be stripped of powers to implement their powers - Money

Chief constables could be stripped of their powers to make key decisions in their areas amid calls to nationalise the way police forces operate.

Sir Thomas Winsor, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary, set out his proposals for a voting system that would nationalise decisions on policing policies and practices for the 43 forces in England and Wales.

He said the current system was ‘no longer fir for purpose’.

Under the plans, he said the Home Secretary would have special voting rights and would be able to ‘veto’ or ‘force something through’ as long as there are ‘checks and balances’.

This means training, police kit and operating standards could be decided upon by a nationalised vote.

In his annual State of Policing report, Sir Thomas warned: ‘There are not 43 best ways of doing the same thing. Best practice is not being adopted everywhere.’

Officers in Bristol were said to be ‘furious’ after they were ordered not to intervene when protesters tore down a statue of slave trader Edward Colston during anti-racism protests last month

Chief Inspector of Constabulary slams protesters attacking police as lockdown is lifted

Sir Thomas Winsor said the coronavirus pandemic had ‘tested police forces in dealing with the lockdown, the greatest curtailment of individual freedom this country has ever known.’

But he hit out at members of the public who had attacked police at demonstrations.

He added: ‘Very regrettably, as lockdown conditions have been relaxed, the police now face a harder task. In some cases, they have been faced with resistance and violence.

‘They have also faced violence when policing public demonstrations. Nothing justifies violence. Police officers are our fellow citizens, doing the tough work we ask them to do, in hazardous and demanding conditions, to keep us safe.

‘Hard enforcement against those who assault police officers and other public service workers should be firm and fast.’

In the report, Sir Thomas said: ‘There is an increasingly pressing need to develop an effective and efficient single system of law enforcement, with clear local, regional and national components.

‘There is an important role for the Home Office to play, particularly in making regional and national functions work more efficiently and effectively, whilst respecting local conditions and priorities.

‘The time has come to establish a much higher degree of single-system operation in the 43-force structure of England and Wales. This doesn’t mean redrawing the map.

‘Single-system operation can be achieved far more efficiently and effectively, and without legislation, turf wars and wasteful management introspection.’

‘There are not 43 best ways of doing the same thing.’

The public must also decide whether they are willing to pay more to see police solve common crimes like burglaries, the chief inspector of constabulary said.

Sir Thomas said there is a ‘real risk’ that forces’ inability to successfully investigate high-volume offences is ‘causing a loss of public confidence in policing’.

His annual assessment of policing in England and Wales published today states some crime investigations ‘have been reduced to little more than a telephone conversation with the victim’.

Just 6% of burglaries, 3% of vehicle crimes and 13% of violent crimes were detected across England and Wales in 2018/19, according to the report for Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS).

Sir Thomas said: ‘So how much unsolved crime is the public prepared to tolerate? Does the public want to pay more for a better service?’

Derbyshire Police Chief Constable Peter Goodman announced he was retiring, after a police watchdog probe into his personal conduct

Derbyshire Constabulary has been behind a series of controversial actions during lockdown – including putting black dye in the Blue Lagoon, near Buxton, to deter swimming

Public ‘may need to ‘tolerate’ crimes such as burglary and car theft’

Sir Thomas’s report also said the public may need to ‘tolerate’ crimes such as burglary and car theft going unsolved unless they are prepared to pay more through their council tax.

He added: ‘If the public wants some very significant improvements in the investigation and detection of these kinds of offences, then they’re going to have to answer the question: Do we want to pay more?’

Sir Thomas said police numbers are at their lowest level since 2010 but rising because of the Government’s plan to recruit 20,000 extra police officers within three years.

But he said: ‘You don’t just need 20,000 more big, heavy lads to deal with pub fights. You need people with the skills to deal with modern criminality, a great deal of which is online.’

He said the uplift would mean a total of 54,000 people would have to be recruited into the police over the three years – including 20,000 officers to replace those who leave the service and an additional 14,000 staff to support the extra officers.

He said around a third of the police service is expected to have under five years’ experience within the next five years.

This comes as police forces across the UK have been criticised for their handling of the lockdown throughout the coronavirus pandemic.

Officers in Bristol were said to be ‘furious’ after they were ordered not to intervene when protesters tore down a statue of slave trader Edward Colston during anti-racism protests last month.

Mark Shelford, a police and crime commissioner candidate for Avon and Somerset, claimed police had ‘two opportunities to intervene’ when Black Lives Matter campaigners ripped down the statue and dumped it into Bristol Harbour.

The force’s chief constable Andy Marsh admitted officers held off making arrests to avoid a ‘very violent confrontation’.

Derbyshire Constabulary has also been behind a series of controversial actions during lockdown.

Its drone unit filmed walkers in the Peak District on March 26, three days after restrictions began.

Officers also put black dye in the Blue Lagoon, near Buxton, to deter swimming.

Weeks later, chief Constable Peter Goodman announced he was retiring, after a police watchdog probe into his personal conduct.

A week into lockdown Lancashire Police issued 123 fines for breaches of the rules over the weekend, while officers in Cheshire summonsed six people for various offences, including multiple people from the same house going out to buy ‘non-essential’ items.

South Wales Police also hit out at MP Stephen Kinnock for visiting his father, former Labour leader Neil Kinnock, on his birthday.

Elected commissioners were introduced to England and Wales in 2012 by then-Home Secretary Theresa May, with the goal of making officers more accountable through election – but low turnout at PCC elections have sparked criticism of the process.

A report into PCC elections, published in October 2019, revealed that a total of 5.49 million votes were cast in the November 2012 PCC elections, representing a turnout of just 15.1% – the lowest recorded level of participation at a peacetime nonlocal government election in the UK.