Ian C. Lucas (Wrexham) (Lab):...That
approach is unacceptable and disrespectful of the role of a local
Member of Parliament. The police and crime commissioner in north
Wales will not meet individual constituents to discuss their cases,
unlike Members of Parliament. It is quite clear that the advent of
the office of the police and crime commissioner has diminished the
accountability of the chief constable to MPs in north Wales. The
chief constable has a much more distant relationship with MPs than
they did when I was first elected...
...The appalling case of Nicholas Churton is a real example
of the deficiencies of the system created by the then Secretary of
State, for which he needs to take personal responsibility. It is
disgraceful that, in such a serious case, North Wales police failed
to respond adequately to legitimate concerns that I, the elected
Member of Parliament for Wrexham, expressed. The confusion in the
probation system is exacerbated by the confusion in lines of
responsibility created by the office of the police and crime
commissioner, who, as far as I am aware, has taken no action in
this case...
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for
the Home Department (Victoria Atkins):...The hon.
Gentleman also raised the issue of the police, and I understand
that he is concerned about North Wales police’s lack of engagement
with him. To my mind, one of the most important responsibilities of
the police and Police
and Crime Commissioners is to connect with local
residents and answer their concerns, and to ask questions of their
chief constable when they have concerns about how the force is
delivering policing locally. Police and Crime Commissioners were
introduced to make the police accountable to the population they
serve. I urge the hon. Gentleman to press the police and crime
commissioner further and insist that he discusses this case with
him, because it is obviously so important to the hon. Gentleman and
his constituents...
...We are very conscious of the pressures that the police
have been under in the last few years, which is precisely why the
then Home Secretary protected spending in 2015, and why it has been
protected since then. This year, my right hon. Friend the Minister
for Policing and the Fire Service has spoken to every constabulary
in the country. With the help of Police and Crime Commissioners, we have
secured an extra £460 million of funding for police
forces...
...I wonder whether the hon. Gentleman, as the good constituency
MP that I know he is, has raised with the local police and crime
commissioner the fact that as of March 2017, the police and crime
commissioner had held-back reserves equivalent to 24.1% of
funding for the local police force, or £34.4 million in savings.
The hon. Gentleman talks about political decisions; presumably it
is a political decision by the police and crime commissioner not
to spend that money on frontline policing...
...I am very conscious of the gravity of this case; frankly,
there are times when the public want us just to get on with it
and sort things out, rather than have these back and forth
arguments about funding. The fact is that we have protected
spending and it is now increasing this year by £460 million. Any
police and crime commissioner or chief constable who wants to
spend that money on frontline policing however they see fit for
their local area will have our support. That is their
decision...
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