Former Home Secretary, Rt Hon David Blunkett MP, has reacted to Theresa May’s comments that the Liberal Democrat/Conservative coalition plans to bring in elected police commissioners.
Mr Blunkett produced a review of police accountability, A People’s Police Force, in July last year which rejected the idea of elected commissioners. The report was endorsed by police authorities and Chief Constables across the country.
Mr Blunkett said: “Not only would elected police commissioners be a major mistake in terms of proper accountability for the police at local level, it will also lead to a destructive and quite unnecessary clash with police chiefs.
“There will be a confusion of roles between those responsible for independently managing the police, free from political interference; and elected local councillors, who have a legitimate voice on behalf of their constituents.
“We are not America and we don’t want to be. We don’t want to end up electing rat-catchers and suffering the corruption that goes with these kinds of elections in so many places across the world.”
ENDS
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