Police authorities reject election model

Both the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats are still committed to direct elections although then-Home Secretary Jacqui Smith abandoned similar Labour proposals.

The association pointed to research carried out by the Northern Ireland Policing Board which compared policing governance and accountability in Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, France, the United States, England and Wales.

Sir Desmond Rea, an independent member of the board, said: “There is no evidence to suggest that the boards or commissions appointed by elected mayors in the United States truly reflect the communities they serve.  Neither is there clear evidence to suggest that police are more accountable under this system. 

“However, even when directly elected models are in place in the US, there has been consistent movement towards making police oversight more independent through the introduction of models similar to those already established in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.”

APA chairman, Bob Jones (Lab) said:“Improving public confidence in policing must be our key aim for the future, but proposals from the politicians to introduce direct elections to police authorities are not the answer. 

“If we want a model that guarantees greater confidence and greater probity, then the political model, which has so recently been associated with actual and moral corruption will not have the confidence of communities. It is clear that re-introducing party-politics to policing would be more likely to undermine confidence in the police service.”

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