- 13/10/2010
- Posted by: Joyce Watson MS
- Category: Feature
‘Needless’ elected Police Commissions costing £50m are a ‘waste of money’, Assembly Member Joyce Watson has said.
The Westminster coalition government has decided to introduce elected Police Commissioners who would have the power to hire and fire Chief Constables.
Speaking in the Assembly chamber, Joyce Watson called the plans an unnecessary burden on police forces across Wales, claiming that the positions would politicise the police.
Joyce Watson AM said,
‘At a time when the rest of the country is being asked to make significant cuts, the government is going to spend £50 million on a solution to a problem which doesn’t exist. Just think how many extra policemen we could we have with that amount of money.
‘Equally as serious is that this politicises the police, applying unnecessary pressure on Chief Constables and the rest of the police force when they should be left alone to get on with the job.
‘I support the stance of Carl Sargeant, the Minister for Social Justice, when he says that this is introducing unwanted red tape’.
