Policing and Crime Bill
12:00 pm
Mr. Coaker: “Have regard to” is much stronger than the previous wording, which I cannot remember exactly, in the Police Act. The new wording will make a significant difference to the way in which police authorities are inspected. I know that yours is the Derbyshire police authority, and there are examples of good police authorities across the country that do that, but we are saying that it is not good enough for some to be good, some to be okay, and some to be not good. We need to have a way of driving forward to ensure that we bring all police authorities up to the standard of the best. Different people here will have different views on their police authorities and whether they are good, bad or patchy. The provision is a significant strengthening on the requirement on police authorities to consult the public and seek out their views.