Response to The Government’s Beating Crime Plan

West Yorkshire’s Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, Alison Lowe said:

“Although the Government’s Beating Crime Plan identifies a series of important priorities, it crucially lacks substance, offering little to explain how they will be translated into action.

“Policing in West Yorkshire has been significantly impacted in successive Government Comprehensive Spending Reviews and continues to recover the level of resources it formerly had.

“All the while, crime is becoming ever more complex to manage and we need the right capability and capacity to deliver the necessary services, not to mention the appropriate levels of pay for our officers and staff.

“I want to see the practical approach spelt out in much clearer detail, with a longer-term approach to early intervention and prevention through sustained funding.

“The re-emergence of league tables is also of particular concern, potentially signalling a return to a culture of arbitrary targets rather than the quality and consistency of outcomes for victims and witnesses.

“We also have great concern over the permanent relaxation of section 60 powers for police to search anyone for a weapon, if they have “reasonable grounds” to believe they are involved in crime.

“It is clear that this impacts upon black and ethnic minorities much harder than other groups and is a blunt policing tool to use, which can have a devastating effect upon communities. I think we should take great care and caution over this policy.

“Through my roles in the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC), I will be making the necessary representations to the Policing Minister, ensuring that we continue on the right path both nationally and locally.”