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The Police Reform and Social Responsibility Bill would abolish police authorities replacing them with directly elected individuals who would oversee local police forces and hold Chief Constables to account – compromising the force’s independence and putting pressure on police to use powers in a way which meets a political agenda rather than serving the community as a whole.

The Prime Minister has acknowledged that the policy was inspired by the American system of elected sheriffs.  However, the American example has demonstrated a negative impact on minority and marginalised groups with whom an elected Commissioner has little incentive to engage.  Self-styled ‘America’s toughest sherrif’ Joseph Arpaio, elected sheriff for 18 years of Maricopa County in Arizona, is being investigated about allegations of systematic discriminatory police practices and racial profiling.  Independent research established that the Sheriff’s office had diverted funds from basic law enforcement to highly publicised and discriminatory immigration sweeps.  Jessica de Grazia, New York’s former chief assistant district attorney, has stated that ‘there is simply no evidence that the American model automatically delivers better policing’.

The BNP has repeatedly and openly stated that it would strategise to win elected policing roles.  Although the far-right party may not have won a seat in the general election, its overall vote did increase – and this month a BNP member was elected deputy Mayor of an East Lancashire town.

Experienced and former police officers have joined the opposition to the policy.  Lord Imbert, former Met Commissioner, in a letter to the Times in March publicly criticised the idea saying it ‘will undermine crucial political independence and non-partisanship of the police and the rule of law itself’. Lord Condon, Lord Stevens and Lord Blair, all former Met Commissioners, have raised similar concerns about the plan – Lord Condon stated that the ‘whole basis of policing’ was at issue.

Shami Chakrabarti, Director of Liberty, said:

"Recent years have amply demonstrated the temptations for elected politicians to consider themselves outside the law. Independent policing is as vital to the Rule of Law as an independent judiciary and Chief Constables should be above party politics not subordinate to it. No wonder there is such low public support for proposals to politicise the police."

A YouGov poll, conducted on behalf of Liberty, suggested little public appetite for the Government proposals.  Only 15% of those polled said they would trust an elected Police and Crime Commissioner more than the present system to protect their family from crime.

Contact: Liberty press office on 020 7378 3656 or 07973 831128

Notes to editors:

1. Liberty’s Second Reading Briefing on Part 1 of the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Bill (directly elected Police and Crime Commissioners) in the House of Lords can be found here:

http://www.liberty-human-rights.org.uk/pdfs/policy11/liberty-s-second-reading-briefing-on-part-1-of-the-police-reform-bill-april-.pdf

2. All figures unless otherwise stated are from YouGov Plc.  Total sample size was 2,391 adults.  Fieldwork was undertaken between 27^th – 28^th March 2011.  The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+).  For a copy of the full results please contact the Liberty press office.  Respondents were asked:

At present each part of Britain has an independent non-political Chief Police Constable.  He or she reports to a Police Authority made up of local councillors and independent members from the community.  The Government is proposing that this model should be scrapped and that each police chief should be directly answerable to an individual politician called a police and crime commissioner.

Who would you trust more to protect your family from crime?

• A Chief Constable reporting to a Police Authority, as now – 65%
• A Chief Constable reporting to an individual politician elected as a Police and Crime Commissioner – 15%
• Don’t know – 20%

Public support keeping politics and policing apart