Police chiefs in reform talks

Prime Minister David Cameron meets police chiefs to discuss plans on police reform
12 April 2012

Chief Constables from across England and Wales have been summoned to Downing Street to discuss Government plans for police reform.

Prime Minister David Cameron met the heads of every force for the first time as coalition plans kick into gear.

He was joined by Home Secretary Theresa May and Police Minister Nick Herbert for the private meeting.

Attendees were likely to discuss the impact of public sector cuts and a review of salaries and remuneration on officers and staff.

They will also examine Government proposals to overhaul the way police forces are directed and held to account.

The new administration has already outlined its intention to replace Police Authority boards with directly-elected commissioners.

Ministers have said that, if Chief Constables accept the changes, they will be given a greater say in how they spend their budget.

Some senior police figures said they oppose the changes, but resistance has begun to thaw in recent weeks.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson said he would accept elected oversight if guarantees can be given that his operational independence is not compromised.

Mr Cameron's official spokesman said: "This is a routine meeting. They will be discussing the Government's plans on police reform. I'm sure that elected commissioners will be one of the issues."

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in