Populist policing

Far from improving the governance of Doncaster, the town has become bedevilled by political infighting and chronic inefficiency. It is now regarded as the worst local authority in the country, in part because the electorate voted for individuals with populist policies rather than candidates who could provide effective leadership.

The same could equally apply if a publicly-elected police commissioner chose to exert their authority at the expense of a Chief Constable with years, and invariably decades, of frontline experience.

An example of the potential paralysis was self-evident when Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, fell out with Sir Ian Blair, the then Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police.

Of course, the police have to move with the times and many of the measures unveiled yesterday by Theresa May, the Home Secretary, will help forces across the country to target their resources on issues such as drugs trafficking. This is welcome.

However, the Government's austerity agenda is no justification for changes being introduced for the sake of change. In most cases, existing police authorities are effective in holding police chiefs to account. Their membership is also made up of public servants from across a force area while there is every likelihood that an elected commissioner will be biased towards their home town.

If Mrs May wants to make policing more accountable to the public, she could revisit the make-up of police authorities and insist that every elected council leader works alongside Chief Constables. As well

as costing no money, it would also ensure greater co-operation between police forces and local councils in the fight against crime.