Baroness Hamwee: Elected police commissioners risk politicisation
Liberal Democrat rebel peer Sally Hamwee explains her fears about elected police commissioners during a Lords debate on the issue:
“Chief among my fears is that of moving towards the politicisation of the police.
“I fear that this will be difficult to avoid, not just because of the likelihood of candidates having a campaigning infrastructure of political parties behind them-as elected mayors have, with whom they may well be confused.
“That is perhaps an issue for another debate. The very nature of a democratic mandate involves policy, and one cannot separate policy from a budget because the money facilitates the implementation of the policy.
“Like other noble Lords, I fear that what is populist may sometimes be dangerous, and may not reflect the needs of those who can shout less loudly.”
