|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Future for Policing in Hertfordshire
The Home Secretary intends to reorganise County police forces in England and Wales. His decision was taken after a limited consultation with local people and against the wishes of local police authorities. Policing in our democracy is by consent, so it is important that the wishes of the people are heard and respected. The Hertfordshire Police Authority voted by 10 votes to 5 to reject the proposal that the Hertfordshire constabulary should be merged voluntarily with the Bedfordshire and Essex forces. The Hertfordshire Authority Chairman stated that there were too many unanswered questions and too little public debate on amalgamation plans for his authority to support amalgamation. The Bedfordshire and Essex Authorities also voted against the merger. Nine of Hertfordshire's eleven MP's, (including David Gauke, the MP for SW Herts) are opposed to the merger. Six leaders of County Councils have challenged the Home Secretary's decision in a letter to the Times newspaper published on 12th April. The principal reasons for rejecting amalgamation are based on funding the restructuring exercise and concerns about local accountability
Historically, the policing of local areas was something that communities organised themselves. Within living memory, members of the local Watch Committee, consisting of locally elected councillors, were the police employers and local ratepayers were their paymasters. Under this system the "bobby on the beat", as exemplified by Dixon of Dock Green in the popular TV series, knew his own beat like the proverbial "back of his hand". Senior Officers were tasked to ensure that policing reflected the priorities dictated by the democratically elected Watch Committee. Complaints about police performance could be pursued through one's local councillors and local elections gave the electors the chance to sack the Watch Committee. That system matched the author's ideas of British Democracy - "government of the people, for the people, by the people"!
Watch Committees no longer exist. Legislation passed in 1964 and in 1972 saw the amalgamation of police forces that created the 43 monolithic police authorities that we have today. But, has policing become more efficient? The majority of people today are not likely to agree. The many complaints raised in local communities across the land cite slow or ineffectual responses to reported crime, police chasing the wrong "targets" in pursuit of increasing political correctness, and public frustration at not getting answers from a remote and bureaucratic organisation. The public is becoming increasingly concerned by street crime, particularly the high incidents of burglary, assaults, robbery, knife crime, drugs, and rape. Will the 12 super police forces envisaged by the Home Secretary be able to deal more effectively with organised crime, the criminal gangs, and the new spectre of terrorism? Inevitably, the bigger police authorities will become more remote from their local communities they are supposed to serve. The Home Secretary, if he gets his way, will bring about the final transition from local control and accountability to control by central government. Is that democracy? Do you believe that the Home Secretary's proposal is going to restore the peoples' confidence in our police force? Please let us have your views on what is a most important issue. Pass your comments via our "feedback" link on this website.
Cliff Le Quelenec. Date. 19th April 2006
The past year has been a very busy one for your Committee members, who have
had to respond at short notice to a number of important issues.
With the change in licensing regulations, pubs and stores around the country
applied for longer hours, karaoke, etc., which were in many cases inappropriate
for the area and deleterious to the well being of local residents.
The R&DRA were asked to support a number of groups of residents opposed
to such change in the particular "local"'s license. One of these scored
a resounding victory - against the application by The Coach and Horses. The
owners appealed, and the case was heard at Hemel Hempstead, where the decision
of the Three Rivers hearing was upheld.
No one can afford to sit back and relax, however. All residents are advised
to keep an eye open for notices for their local pubs. If proposed changes seem
unreasonable, speak to your neighbours, write to the Licensing Department of
TRDC, and contact the R&DRA either in writing or through the Feedback facility
on this site. Read more on this subject here.
Shirley Jacobs
The views on this website are those of the individual contributors, and do not necessarily reflect those of the R&DRA Committee as a whole.