Exclusive: New tsars ‘bring risk of politics at heart of policing’

ONE of Yorkshire’s most senior police officers has added to the furore surrounding the introduction of elected Police and Crime Commissioners by saying they present “significant risks” to British policing.

Humberside Police Chief Constable Tim Hollis said the role risked “bringing politics to the heart of policing”, and questioned the wisdom of making such a radical break with 180 years of tradition that has made the British police service the best in the world.

He is the second county police chief to speak out on the issue, following a warning from West Yorkshire Police Chief Constable Sir Norman Bettison last month that commissioners risked bringing corruption into the service.

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Mr Hollis said: “Chief constables do have reservations which are already on record over the implementing of a form of governance which has never been used before in this country. I think the British way is developmental, responding to events and changing gradually over time.

“The Government is introducing a form of governance that is completely untried and untested. Inevitably, if you have a person who is elected you run the risk of bringing politics to the heart of policing, although some would argue that it’s been there nationally for some time and that’s the problem they’re trying to fix.”

He added: “I’m not for one minute claiming that we don’t need change or reform, I’m simply observing that to adopt such a radical change in police governance has a number of significant risks associated with it.

“The British system of policing has developed over 180 years and is pretty well established. There’s no blueprint for the new model. On November 22 the new Police and Crime Commissioner is going to walk into my office with their manifesto on policing and say ‘OK, let’s do business’. That’s fine by me. But there will be 41 (new commissioners) across England and Wales and potentially 41 variations on a theme.”

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Mr Hollis, 59, a vice-president of the Association of Chief Police Officers, also revealed he will not stay on beyond his eighth year as Humberside chief, which begins on Sunday. He added: “I have no doubt that the majority of the new commissioners will be good people, people of integrity who want to make a positive difference. I just hope that in showing the public that they are ‘doing things differently’, they do not overlook the inherent success of the British policing model – the hard-earned, collective experience of its workforce and our historic commitment both to local communities and to the national policing effort when required.”

The new commissioners will replace police authorities and have the power to hire and fire chief constables. Elections will be held every four years, although there is no limit to the number of times a commissioner can be re-elected.

Sir Norman, also a vice-president of ACPO, said he worried that a “sense of obligation” could drive some commissioners to give orders that benefit those who help them get elected.

A row about the election process erupted last week when former Labour Deputy Prime Minister Lord Prescott – who intends to stand to be Humberside commissioner – attacked the Government’s decision to rule out posting details of candidates to voters.

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A Home Office spokesman said: “The arrival of Police and Crime Commissioners will be the most significant democratic reform of policing in our lifetime, giving the public a stronger voice in how their streets are policed and allowing them to hold forces to account.

“Currently only seven per cent of the public realise they can contact their police authority if they’re unhappy with their police force.”

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