VOTE: Arundel councillor’s plans for policing change
ARUNDEL councillor Paul Dendle is seeking to become Sussex’s first police commissioner.
Mr Dendle, Arun councillor for the town and the council’s cabinet member for the environment, has thrown his hat into the ring as a would-be Conservative candidate for the historic first election of the county’s police and crime commissioner, later this year.
If elected, he proposes a radical shake-up of the policing system within Sussex, which he feels is “outdated, unreceptive and inefficient”.
He says he would focus on bolstering frontline services for the force, increasing patrols and slashing what he claims are bureaucratic paper-chase constraints officers are forced to deal with on a daily basis.
“I want to bring a change to the way policing operates in the area. It’s an old organisation and they need to be shaken up, from the top down.
“I aim to work at a grassroots level to find out exactly what communities need and to work with police to deliver those needs.
“I would aim to reduce the amount of time officers would have to spend in the back office, under a mountain of paperwork and forms.
“For them, the current system of arresting someone is a bureaucratic nightmare. It takes hours and hours to go through and deal with.
“I would like to streamline the way the force works, cut back on bureaucracy, allowing officers to do the job they were trained to do – policing our streets and keeping them safe.”
The position, created under the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act by the coalition government, will see the 41 police forces in England and Wales have their own, elected commissioner, replacing existing police authorities.
Commissioners will be able to hire and fire chief constables, set the force’s budget and give strategic direction on tackling crime.
Former Sussex Police Authority chairman Dr James Walsh, a Liberal Democrat Arun, county council and Littlehampton town councillor, described the change as “a retrograde step in policing”.
He said: “I think it’s an untried, untested American import and I can’t see it ever being a success.
“I don’t think that a single police commissioner for the whole of Sussex, from Rye to Selsey, can be as accountable as a police authority of 17 members, working from all parts of East and West Sussex.”
Littlehampton Ham ward Labour councillor Mike Northeast attacked the timing of the introduction of police commissioners amid nationwide cuts in police funding.
He said: “I don’t feel that this is the correct time for this sort of thing to be proposed now, where we are seeing widespread, severe cutbacks in police services.
“If you have a politician in a position of power, running something like the police force, the decisions made during that posting will obviously be politically motivated. It could lead to a post-code police force.
“But my biggest gripe is the amount of money that it will cost. Amid major policing cutbacks, and a visible impact on frontline policing, do I feel it’s right to employ an individual, who could be paid in up to £100,000 to effectively control the region’s police force? No, I don’t.
“This should be a group effort, controlled by a spread of individuals from across the community.”
Mr Dendle rebuffed claims of a postcode police force, with resources targeted at areas favoured by the commissioner. He argued such views were “irrational” and false.
“Operationally, the police will always be controlled by the chief constable. The police commissioner cannot interfere with that.
“I can’t imagine any chief constable in their right mind being told not to police a certain area and to allocate resources to a different area, instead.
“If you look at the Metropolitan Police, which is currently controlled by the mayor of London, this notion of political policing does not exist.
“So I think this is an utterly irrational argument to suggest in the first place.”
Mr Dendle faces competition from the leader of East Sussex County Council and former chairman of Sussex Police Authority, Peter Jones, to be nominated as the Conservative candidate at a selection meeting on February 24.For more details about Mr Dendle’s bid, visit his website at www.pauldendle.blogspot.com
For more information about other candidates and the commissioner’s roles, visit www.sussexpcc.co.uk
What do you think? Would a police commissioner such as Paul Dendle, from Arundel, make a better job of running Sussex Police than the existing authority? Cast your vote in the panel to the right of the screen, and leave your comments below.
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Comments
There are 7 comments to this article
Page 1 of 1
magpie1
Saturday, February 25, 2012 at 09:58 PMI'd would agree with Barnham2012's view that police experience should be a requirement for this role, as opposed to political experience. After all, arguably the police are so inefficient is as they are largely answerable to their political masters, as opposed to the public. You only have to see the foolish decisions made by previous Home Secretary's, eg - Tory, Michael Howard and his ill-fated Sheehy Report which saw over 3,000 experienced, highly qualified and committed police officers leave the police service when he tried to run the police as one would a Public Corporation. Then we had David Blunkett who essentially gave us walking, talking uniforms carriers without any power whatsoever - PCSOs in a country where gang culture and violence has been, and is, on the up. However, speaking as a former police officer, and one who worked the streets as opposed to a back-office, 9-5 role as so many 'police officers' do, I disagree that the Commissioner should have held the rank of Chief Constable. In fact, I'd say an ex-Chief Constable would be the worst thing imaginable. In my view, and a view shared by all the colleagues I worked with, and keep in contact with, Chief Constables, Met Police Commissioners are accountants with a masters degree in smoke and mirrors technique. While the rank and file police, are in fact those who have experience of what actually goes on on the streets, and if they were allowed to, could come up with some innovative solutions that wouldn't mean investing £ms in consulants [read ex-senior police officers here]. I'd like to see the job being given to a former police officer coming from the ranks - as in Constable, Sergeant, Inspector. Above these ranks and all you get is expensive mouth pieces unable to make a decision. I was on duty on the day of the Poll Tax Riots in London and a Senior officer who gave the briefing told us all that this was a 'family day' and we were not to bring or carry any public order equipment as it was deemed by NSY as being antagonistic. History proved otherwise. Simple fact is, there would be no noticable change in policing if tomorrow every senior officer was told to stay at home. There would be, if every working police officer was to do likewise. Finally, with the greatest respect, Coun Dendle, stick to debating refuge charges, planning applications and whose turn it is to bring the tea bags - policing is far too serious a subject to be left in the hands of politicans. And if you really want to make a change, go knock on Nick Herbert MP's door, who lives in Arundel and discuss your ideas with him. After all, he is the Policing Minister and he's about as much idea of policing as you do - and arguably much of the problems you talk of are in his hands to change - along with dear Teresa May, Home Secretary who again seems hell-bent on destroying what little remains of good policing. M J.
Councillor PaulDendle
Friday, February 17, 2012 at 04:58 PMThanks Rage in Eden for your comments, I believe that the Police on the beat at the sharp end have the experience that is needed, they need the ability to use their discretion power and resources to do the job, if my business acumen can help to create the conditions for resources to be found and the ethos to return to the principles of Policing without the Political obstructions, then I will achieve something worthwhile. http:pauldendle.blogspot.com
Rage in Eden
Thursday, February 16, 2012 at 09:01 PMPolice authorities may have seemed remote and unknown but this is a simple matter of communication, easily sorted and not in need of the sort of politically motivated and deeply exclusionary reforms introduced. The sound bite political responses made here amply demonstrate the flaws in the new system. Furthermore the suggestion that high flying officers are required to play the game and not rock the boat is nonsense. Officers are required to seek innovative solutions to social problems at all levels and work with many different agencies. As an examples I would point to the work done with the council in Brighton managing the night time economy or the work of the GTAG. What the Police service needs is proper funding, not the salami slicing away of resources as has been seen over the last 10 years or the current wholesale cuts. Technology has its place but that which is available to the consumer market is rarely suitable for police work as it is not robust enough and the last attempt by Sussex Police to go down that route did not suceed. Business acumen may be all very well but it absolutely NO substitute for a sound knowledge of policing gained by doing the job!
Councillor PaulDendle
Thursday, February 16, 2012 at 06:41 PMthanks barnham2012 for your comment, but I can't agree with you, I am not an officer of the Council, I am elected Councillor and a Cabinet Member, please read my bio regarding my business experience on my blog http:pauldendle.blogspot.com . Also you do not understand the role, operationally the Chief Constable will be in charge, but on Policy side the Sussex Police Commissioner will operate and replace the current role of Sussex Police Authority, but the PCC will be scrutinised by a committee of elected Councillors. But I agree that our Police have suffered too much from Political interference and Political Correctness, but see my blog for my vision for policing http:pauldendle.blogspot.com201202policing-vision-for-future.html
barnham2012
Thursday, February 16, 2012 at 06:08 PMAbsolutely ridiculous having a minor council official even thinking that he has the skills to be able to do a job as responsible as this. The whole idea is flawed from top to bottom, none of the prospective candidates (that I am aware of) have the slightest idea with regard to the set up & organisation of an important body such as the police service, only someone with police experience could possibly do the job effectively. D.Cameron has made so many U turns so far in this brief (talking a good job) administration this is one more idea he MUST scrap. If anyone is to be appointed at all it should be someone that has actually held Chief Constable rank (sure there are a few in Sussex) not some minor Councillor affiliated to a political group..Don't forget that it was the interference of politicians that created the disarray that the police now find themselves in ...
Councillor PaulDendle
Thursday, February 16, 2012 at 03:01 PMI have to challenge Rage in Eden comments, to say that the Police Authority system is not broken ignores the reality, The Sussex PA is a remote and unknown organisation, this is why Nick Herbert the Police Minister and Arundel Southdown’s MP has championed these changes. I pride myself on independence of thought, loath entrenched interests & fight injustice. What I could bring to the job is business acumen, Our police forces are old legacy type organisations with plenty of baggage and working practices that need to be reformed, procedures, and working practices have to be completely reviewed the accepted norms should be questioned. Technology has to be a central plank to reform, linking the Police officer on the beat with handheld access to the network.Top heavy self serving administrative structures feed themselves with continuing bureaucratic demands, high flying candidates play the careers game, they don’t want to rock the boat which undermines any type of change agenda.The Police Commissioner role gives an opportunity for a candidate to institute real change, I believe any candidate should not think of a second term, they should concentrate on reforming agenda for the full four years, the last thing the Commissioner should be doing is thinking how to be re-elected, they should concentrate on reform. Setting out a vision is the first step,Ordinary Police officers know what has to be done, they observe these grandiose hierarchies where talented officers fast track themselves up the career ladder passing the ordinary officer by , we should start by empowering the local officers, engage them in the change agenda and take on board their commonsense solutions to Policing
Rage in Eden
Thursday, February 16, 2012 at 01:18 PMFirstly, there was nothing wrong with the old system of Police Authorities, on the whole they worked pretty well, if it ain't broke don't fix it! I fail to see the benefit of bringing one persons party politics into policing rather than the balance of a panel. Secondly, if Mr Dendle takes a look at the paperwork completed by Police officers during investigationshe will find it is the requirements of the justice system that make it necessary not the capricious whims of Chief Constables. If he starts to interfere with that process the only result will be lost cases and more criminals on the street. Perhaps Mr Dendle should do some more research before running for such a position.
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