Police Bill changes (1)
01 January 1991
Police Bill changes
artdoc June=1994
The government has made further amendments to the Police and
Magistrates' Court Bill following continued opposition in the
House of Lords (where the Bill was introduced) and from police
and local authority organisations (see Statewatch, vol 4 no 1).
On 14 February the government withdrew the controversial Clause
45 (affecting police in Scotland) which would have allowed the
Secretary of State for Scotland to direct local forces to
undertake specific operations. Police organisations had objected
to what they saw as the `political control of operational
policing'.
On 15 March the proposal for the Home Secretary to appoint the
proposed five `independent' members of local police authorities
from a panel chosen by two Lord Lieutenants and an professional
recruitment consultant was dropped. In part because the Lord
Lieutenants themselves did not want to become involved in what
they saw as political appointments. Instead police authorities
will co-opt five `independent' members from a shortlist agreed
by the Home Secretary. The shortlist will be drawn up by `local
panels' comprising one person appointed by the Home Secretary,
one chosen by the combined councillors and magistrates on the
authority, and one person chosen jointly by the other two. From
the shortlist of 20 they draw up the Home Secretary will chose
10 from which 5 will then be chosen by the police authority. The
criteria for selection will be at the Home Secretary's
discretion. In another concession the size of police authority
is to be increased from 16 to 17 giving one additional local
councillor (the proposed composition would thus be: 9
councillors, 3 magistrates, and 5 `independent' members). When
the new scheme was announced by the Home Office Minister Lord
Ferrers they were greeted with laughter. Lord Jenkins, the
Liberal peer said it was a classic case of how not to legislate,
it was `humiliation by instalment', he said. Lord Callaghan, an
ex-Home Secretary, said it was an elaborate farce.
These changes will be largely symbolic because the basic
decision to cut police authorities off from local councils and
make them quangoes still stands as does the power for the Home
Secretary to set policing `objectives'.
Association of Metropolitan Authorities briefing, 15.3.94;
Scottish Office press release, 14.2.94; Guardian & Times,
22.2.94; Guardian & Independent, 1.3.94.
Statewatch Vol 4 no 2, March-April 1994