Too many police chiefs? - A review of police strength and costs in England & Wales 2010
BACKGROUND - POLICE CHIEFS IN THE SPOTLIGHT
The secret police
There is a distinct lack of transparency of information available about the police. Repeated attempts by organizations seeking to research specifics on police budgets, strategies and accountability structures have been futile. Although Police Authorities do publish high-level annual budgets, there are no detailed, publicly-accessible accounts. There is no clear document explaining who reports into whom, particularly in terms of national bodies. Responsibilities are blurred between ACPO, The Home Office, The Association Of Police Authorities and the Chief Officers themselves. Enquiries directly to police forces yield some information, but in many cases they refuse to help or suggest a Freedom of Information request.
ACPO – the power behind the throne
The Association of Chief Police Officers is a powerful and independent body consisting of Chief Constables, Deputy Chief Constables and Assistant Chief Constables. It has a major role as the primary coordinator of policing policy, encouraging the 43 forces in England and Wales to adopt the policies it promotes. ACPO has been described as a “self-perpetuating oligarchy”. ACPO has the ear of the Home Secretary and this, in combination with its influence over senior officers (and those wishing to become senior officers), means it is a prominent voice in determining policy. There is a widespread belief that ACPO is the main party persuading forces to adopt particular policies. If the Home Secretary wants to ensure the adoption of a policy idea, he will “strike a bargain” with ACPO to ensure its implementation. ACPO is the driving force behind policy, and the Home Office succumbs, either because of its own autocratic instincts or because the police are exceptionally good at pushing through the things they want. This focus of ACPO on national policy means that individual Chief Constables are left focusing on administrative matters and equipment choices. In fact this situation should be reversed: ACPO could take a useful national lead on
administration and interoperability while Chief Constables focus on their forces’ operations.
Sir Hugh Orde, the President of ACPO, complains that the police would become "politicised", yet the group over which he presides has spent years behaving in a quasi-political way, making statements intended to support this government policy or undermine that one. Established in 1948, ACPO – a private company funded by the Home Office together with contributions from police authorities – plays a key role in the formulation of public policy on criminal justice. Yet it is totally unaccountable for what it does. ACPO - rank officers can be found at Home Office press conferences and their comments are often helpfully attached to government press releases. They are up to their necks in politics. Indeed, Sir Hugh's intervention is itself overtly political. So it is a bit rich for him to complain about the politicisation of the police.
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