The latest queens speach setting out the Labour governments legislative plans included the proposal of elected a few members of Plice authorities.

So the proposal is to elect a minority of Police authorities members. Police authorities, except in extreme circumstances, influence local Police but don’t control or direct them. So we’re being asked to vote for people who infuence an influencing board of the Police. We’re being asked to elect a minority of members of those boards. How will that change anything?

Ideally local Police should have priorities set politically by elected politicians.  Those politicians should be on the hook for local taxation to pay for local Police. That is the way for real locally accountable poltiics of local Policing.