Policing Inquiry

In the light of the expected imminent introduction of the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Bill, the Home Affairs Committee will begin a series of inquiries into policing. Initially, the Committee will focus on what is likely to be the key element of the Bill: the introduction of directly elected Police and Crime Commissioners to replace Police Authorities. In particular the Committee is interested in:

• the relationship between Chief Constables and elected Police and Crime Commissioners;
• how “operational independence” will be defined;
• the extent to which there will still be a need for national targets; and
• the role of the Police and Crime Panels.

The Committee is seeking written submissions on the Government’s proposals, their likely impact on the prevention and reduction of crime and antisocial behaviour, and their practical implications. Organisations and individuals interested in making written submissions are invited to do so by Friday 15 October 2010. Submissions must be no longer than 2,500 words. Further advice on making a submission can be found below.

Rt. Hon Keith Vaz MP, Chair of the Committee, said:

"The landscape of policing looks set to change considerably in the near future if plans to implement directly elected individuals go ahead. The Committee looks forward to questioning the relevant stakeholders on the impact this will have on policing in the 21st Century.”

The next part of the Committee’s series of policing inquiries will focus on the impact of the Comprehensive Spending Review. More details will be announced shortly.

Further Information:

Written evidence should if possible be in Word or rich text format—not PDF format—and sent by e-mail. The use of colour and expensive-to-print material, e.g. photographs, should be avoided. The body of the e-mail must include a contact name, telephone number and postal address. The e-mail should also make clear who the submission is from.

Submissions must address the terms of reference. They should be in the format of a self-contained memorandum. Paragraphs should be numbered for ease of reference, and the document must include an executive summary.

Further guidance on the submission of evidence

Submissions should be original work, not previously published or circulated elsewhere, though previously published work can be referred to in a submission and submitted as supplementary material. Once submitted, your submission becomes the property of the Committee and no public use should be made of it unless you have first obtained permission from the Clerk of the Committee.

Please bear in mind that the Committee is not able to investigate individual cases.

The Committee normally, though not always, chooses to publish the written evidence it receives, either by printing the evidence, publishing it on the internet or making it publicly available through the Parliamentary Archives. If there is any information you believe to be sensitive you should highlight it and explain what harm you believe would result from its disclosure; the Committee will take this into account in deciding whether to publish or further disclose the evidence.

For data protection purposes, it would be helpful if individuals wishing to submit written evidence send their contact details in a covering letter or e-mail. You should be aware that there may be circumstances in which the House of Commons will be required to communicate information to third parties on request, in order to comply with its obligations under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.