AM calls to free police in Brecon & Radnorshire from government bureaucracy (Kirsty Williams AM )

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English

Kirsty Williams AM <info@kirstywilliams.org.uk>

AM calls to free police in Brecon & Radnorshire from government bureaucracy

September 5, 2008 4:00 PM

PLANS to free local police forces from the grip of central government bureaucracy and targets have been welcomed by Liberal Democrats in Brecon & Radnorshire.

The proposals have been launched by Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary Chris Huhne and will be debated at the party's conference in Bournemouth in September.

Kirsty Williams AM for Brecon & Radnorshire has welcomed the news and said that police officers would be freed up to spend more time policing communities rather than chasing government targets.

"The police have to be free to police our local communities. We need the local bobby pounding the streets not stuck behind a desk," said Kirsty Williams. "Constant interference and targets from Westminster do little to catch criminals and deter crime. B&R police are far better placed than a government minister in London to decide what our local priorities are.

"The proposals also call for police authorities to be elected by local people, rather than appointed by ministers. This would mean policing priorities would be under the control of local people."

Other proposals to be debated by the Liberal Democrats include appointing 10,000 extra police officers, paid for by scrapping the expensive and bureaucratic National Identity Card scheme.

Note

The spokesman's paper from Chris Huhne MP, Cutting Crime: Catching Criminals With Better Policing, is available on the Liberal Democrat website:

http://www.libdems.org.uk/media/documents/policies/Cutting%20Crime%20by%20Catching%20Criminals.pdf