Conservative conference: Home Affairs Committee member expresses concerns about police commissioners

I had the pleasure of chairing a fringe event hosted by the Howard League for Penal Reform today on young people and the criminal justice system. The focus for the event was how police and crime commissioners can change the way young offenders are treated. Home Office minister James Brokenshire was very keen to assert that PCCs should be ‘ambitious’ in their plans for dealing with young people. But Home Affairs Select Committee member James Clappison was a little less optimistic, particularly about whether the government is actually pushing hard enough for these commissioners to be a momentous change to policing.

‘I think there are opportunities here, and I think we should be ambitious for them… The police commissioners are getting a higher profile now, and I hope that they will be given support to get an even higher programme, and I hope I can say that with a member of the government here, and that we take as much advantage as we can of this opportunity.