Sir Hugh Orde, the new president of ACPO, has predictably come out against elected police chiefs. Andrew Sparrow has the key extract from his speech:
“If people seriously think some form of elected individual is better placed to oversee policing than the current structure, then I am very interested in the detail of how that is going to work – and happy to have that debate. Every professional bone in my body tells me it is a bad idea that could drive a coach and horses through the current model of accountability and add nothing but confusion. I note that our partners here in the [Association of Police Authorities] are keen to engage, and I am sure that our current model can be built on, but it seems to me that communities have a right to have their police service held to account in a sophisticated and apolitical way.
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