Council asked to oppose police commissioners

WARRINGTON Borough Council is to be asked to make clear its opposition to the introduction of elected police commissioners.
A motion is to be put to the council’s next meeting, on September 5, calling for the council to urge the Government to “think again” about proposals to replace police authorities with police commissioners.
The motion is being proposed by Liberal Democrat leader Ian Marks and seconded by Cllr Keith Gleave, Liberal Democrat.
In the motion, the two councilors say one of the key concerns that people have raised over the ‘phone hacking scandal is that a very clear distance needs to be kept between politicians and the police.
Both are important pillars of society but they can
only work effectively when they are wholly separate functions in which one
sets strategy and one carries out the strategy.
“This is one of the main reasons that most people in local government
oppose the idea of Elected Police Commissioners,” the motion states.
“One person, doing most of their work behind closed doors, who will lead
the police service, is not in the best interest of the policing of our area.
“The cost of this proposal at a time when savings are being made elsewhere
is unhelpful.”
The motion asks the council to write to Home Secretary Theresa May urging the Government to think again about Elected Police commissioners and replace them with Police Boards, working with local government, which will
provide the transparency that is obviously so badly needed as well as a
link into other local services.