Schedule 2 - Amendments to the Police Act 1996
Police and Justice Bill
10:30 am
Hazel Blears (Minister of State (Policing, Security and Community Safety), Home Office; Salford, Labour)
Perhaps the hon. Gentleman should look at paragraph 11, which would insert, in proposed section 6ZB(1):
“The Secretary of State may by order require police authorities ... to determine objectives”.
The strategic objectives are those of the Home Secretary, who will set national policing priorities. Clearly, police authorities will want to set objectives that relate to their local circumstances, which is exactly the point that I was making. This is not about Ministers setting objectives; it provides a framework within which police authorities will set their own objectives for their communities and ensures that that framework is consistent, so that people in each area go through a similar process in drawing up their local policing objectives. It is not a substitute for the Home Secretary’s decision making; it is part of the tripartite organisation of policing. That gives the lie to contention of the hon. Member for Cheltenham that this is somehow a move to the centre. We are trying to put in place a consistent framework within which there is a rigorous and effective partnership approach to deciding the future of policing. On that basis, I ask the hon. Gentleman to withdraw the amendment.