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Law and new order: a caution

Source: guardian.co.uk Society

Nov 04, 2009

Summary

The former head of the Metropolitan Police calls for a royal commission to take an unbiased view on the future of UK law enforcement – and warns of the dangers of the Tory-favoured US model of elected police chiefs

Royal commissions are not popular with modern governments. It is nearly 50 years since the 1962 royal commission resulted in the 1964 Police Act. However, I am sure an independent commission is now necessary to take a long-term view on the future of policing.

It should begin by establishing a set of principles concerning the very nature of public policing and its unique role in the state, the boundaries of its mission, its cost, the constitution and terms of engagement of its workforce, its structures for accountability to the public, and the role of politicians in its control.

The introduction of elected commissioners in political charge of policing currently appears likely to feature in the Conservative manifesto and will be, in my view, a seriously flawed and historically ignorant proposal. There can be no doubt that the manner in which I left offi

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