10th June 2003
This week’s briefing covers stories from 17 police areas in England and Wales across the following BTP regions:
London North (4): Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Norfolk, Thames Valley;
London South (2): Kent, Surrey;
North East (5): Cleveland, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, North Yorkshire, South Yorkshire;
North West (3) : Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Staffordshire;
Wales & Western (3): Dyfed-Powys, Warwickshire, West Midlands.
National stories
Labour’s shadow chancellor Ed Balls revealed his party may scrap elected police and crime commissioners if they win the 2015 general election. [Daily Mail]
- The new boss of West Midlands Police has said he would do away with his own job if he had the chance. [Coventry Telegraph]
The chief constable of Cheshire Constabulary has been referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission after a request from the PCC for Greater Manchester. [Police Professional]
Budgets and funding
Police and crime commissioners this week revealed different strategies to cut operational costs.
Cleveland‘s mounted police section is to be scrapped to save money. [BBC News]
- Horse owners in Lincolnshire could be asked to volunteer for mounted police patrols in rural parts of the county. [BBC News]
Plans scrapped earlier this year West Midlands and Staffordshire police to share services should be revived in the wake of the terrorist attack in Woolwich, the West Mids PCC has claimed. [Express and Star]
More police officers and PCSOs may be lost in Hertfordshire, with the county’s PCC unsure how deep the axe may cut. [Herts24]
Norfolk’s police and crime commissioner has attacked reforms intended to save money from the legal aid budget. [Norwich Evening News]
Kent police and crime commissioner Ann Barnes has vowed to limit the impact of police cuts on small towns. [Paddock Wood Courier]
A recruitment drive is taking place to encourage more people to become special constables in South Yorkshire. [South Yorkshire Times]
Area news
London North
Thames Valley‘s police and crime commissioner has set out six priorities for his time in office. [Bucks Herald]
Hertfordshire‘s police and crime commissioner has branded a report calling for stronger scrutiny of the elected figures “unhelpful”. [Hertfordshire Mercury]
London South
Surrey’s police and crime commissioner will be assisted in delivering his election promises by a leading figure from the Probation Trust. [This is Local London]
North East
Leicestershire‘s police and crime commissioner is set to allocate £1m to boost his commissioning budget. [Rutland & Stamford Mercury]
North Yorkshire’s new chief constable isn’t afraid to challenge the Police and Crime Commissioner if she makes a decision he feels is not right for the public. [Northern Echo]
North West
Greater Manchester‘s PCC Tony Lloyd has welcomed plans to give victims the right to challenge the Crown Prosecution Service when it decides to abandon a prosecution or not charge a suspect. [Rochdale Online]
Wales and Western
Neighbourhood policing will remain a vital part of services in Dyfed-Powys, the local PCC people in Llanelli during a plan launch meeting. [Llanelli Star]
Wiltshire‘s PCC marked his first six months in office with a meeting in Trowbridge. [Gazette & Herald]
Recruitment
Warwickshire‘s PCC has confirmed the appointment of the county’s Chief Constable for a further two years. [Nuneaton News]
The appointment of the new chief constable of Bedfordshire Police has been approved by the Bedfordshire Police and Crime Panel. [BBC News]