This is Staffordshire -- STAFFORDSHIRE'S Police and Crime Commissioner has spoken out after a review of British policing called for his role to be scrapped. The Policing for a Better Britain report, led by ex-Met Police Commissioner Lord Stevens, says more power should be given to local councillors and local authorities. It also recommends that some police forces are merged. Now Matthew Ellis, who was elected as Staffordshire's PCC last November, has described Lord Steven's dismissal of PCCs 'extraordinary' and 'demoralising'. He claims the review marks a move away from democratic accountability for policing - sounding the 'death knell' of local police forces in favour of a national police service. He said: "The crux of the report signals a move from 41 local forces to national policing over time and also harps back to the days when there was a perception that the police were the answer to every problem in society on their own. "That simply isn't supported by the facts and a key reason that crime over recent years has reduced is because of the police's drive towards greater joint working with other agencies across the public and voluntary sector. "In Staffordshire there have been impressive inroads to joint working over the last few years but the last year has seen even greater progress towards a more integrated policing and criminal justice system that is faster, fairer and more effective as well as a workable plan to deal with the challenges of police incidents involving people with mental health issues." But Mr Ellis admitted that Lord Stevens' worry about shrinking neighbourhood policing numbers is of major concern. He said: "The Chief Constable is already working on proposals with my office to avoid cutting neighbourhood policing numbers as far as was previously planned. I've made clear that fewer police officers will go than under the old Police Authority plan but the only way to do that is by saving money, buying better and doing things more effectively across the whole organisation. "I'm confident that despite only being 12 months in we are heading towards achieving that meaning more resources than planned can be shifted to supporting front line policing numbers." He added: "Much of what Lord Stevens raised is valid but in short I think he's asking the right questions but coming up with answers that are a decade or more out of date or highly centralised and further away than ever from local people. "His dismissal of Police and Crime Commissioners only 6 months into office when written is extraordinary. "That said, I do concede that democracy brings some risks at every level from PM down. It's entirely true that there are many PCCs who are struggling and some who are completely out of their depth. It's up to the electorate to decide who is best placed to move the sector forward. "But at a time when policing, particularly the Met, is being challenged on practise, transparency and ethics a strong spotlight to hold the police clearly to account whilst driving sector wide improvement is critical. "Whilst I find Lord Stevens' report demoralising personally and understand that he wanted it to be stark and somewhat sensational I think that the next 12 months will start to either prove or disprove much of what he writes."
Reported by This is 5 hours ago.
This is Staffordshire -- STAFFORDSHIRE'S Police and Crime Commissioner has spoken out after a review of British policing called for his role to be scrapped. The Policing for a Better Britain report, led by ex-Met Police Commissioner Lord Stevens, says more power should be given to local councillors and local authorities. It also recommends that some police forces are merged. Now Matthew Ellis, who was elected as Staffordshire's PCC last November, has described Lord Steven's dismissal of PCCs 'extraordinary' and 'demoralising'. He claims the review marks a move away from democratic accountability for policing - sounding the 'death knell' of local police forces in favour of a national police service. He said: "The crux of the report signals a move from 41 local forces to national policing over time and also harps back to the days when there was a perception that the police were the answer to every problem in society on their own. "That simply isn't supported by the facts and a key reason that crime over recent years has reduced is because of the police's drive towards greater joint working with other agencies across the public and voluntary sector. "In Staffordshire there have been impressive inroads to joint working over the last few years but the last year has seen even greater progress towards a more integrated policing and criminal justice system that is faster, fairer and more effective as well as a workable plan to deal with the challenges of police incidents involving people with mental health issues." But Mr Ellis admitted that Lord Stevens' worry about shrinking neighbourhood policing numbers is of major concern. He said: "The Chief Constable is already working on proposals with my office to avoid cutting neighbourhood policing numbers as far as was previously planned. I've made clear that fewer police officers will go than under the old Police Authority plan but the only way to do that is by saving money, buying better and doing things more effectively across the whole organisation. "I'm confident that despite only being 12 months in we are heading towards achieving that meaning more resources than planned can be shifted to supporting front line policing numbers." He added: "Much of what Lord Stevens raised is valid but in short I think he's asking the right questions but coming up with answers that are a decade or more out of date or highly centralised and further away than ever from local people. "His dismissal of Police and Crime Commissioners only 6 months into office when written is extraordinary. "That said, I do concede that democracy brings some risks at every level from PM down. It's entirely true that there are many PCCs who are struggling and some who are completely out of their depth. It's up to the electorate to decide who is best placed to move the sector forward. "But at a time when policing, particularly the Met, is being challenged on practise, transparency and ethics a strong spotlight to hold the police clearly to account whilst driving sector wide improvement is critical. "Whilst I find Lord Stevens' report demoralising personally and understand that he wanted it to be stark and somewhat sensational I think that the next 12 months will start to either prove or disprove much of what he writes."
Reported by This is 5 hours ago.
