:01:28. > :01:34.The fan from the North West of England to the United States of
:01:34. > :01:44.America. We travel over the pond to find out more about elected police
:01:44. > :01:44.
:01:44. > :31:19.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 1775 seconds
:31:19. > :31:23.Hello. I am Annabelle Turton. In the next 20 minutes.
:31:23. > :31:25.From the North West of England to the United States of America. We
:31:26. > :31:30.travel across the pond to find out more about elected police
:31:30. > :31:38.commissioners. Let me introduce you to work to my
:31:38. > :31:43.guests of the day. Jake Berry the Conservatives have MP. And Yasmin
:31:43. > :31:49.Qureshi the Bolton MP. He issue of the week of the moment
:31:49. > :31:55.for you is what? For me Pehrson like, we knew it apprentices into
:31:55. > :32:03.work. -- for me personally. I want to say to people we can do
:32:03. > :32:09.something as MPs, go out there and run a campaign and get people back
:32:09. > :32:14.into jobs. There has been some criticism in the past that these
:32:14. > :32:20.apprenticeships are not going to the right people. They're going to
:32:21. > :32:24.people alder, 25 years plus. He may have been in the past. The way the
:32:24. > :32:30.new Government has set the funding up, all the funding is aimed at
:32:30. > :32:36.those between the ages of 16 and 24. Not already in employment or
:32:36. > :32:41.training. It has encouraged people to get our young people a chance to
:32:41. > :32:49.get does life skills. I have met people and end a few people who are
:32:49. > :32:57.now saying, I am 65. I started as an apprenticeship -- as an
:32:57. > :33:03.apprentice. Yasmin, what about you? A reorganisation of the NHS is a
:33:03. > :33:08.big concern. And funding for the Fire Services in the metropolitan
:33:08. > :33:14.areas. If with the firefighters, do they get their money through the
:33:14. > :33:18.council tax, is as a separate settlement for them? He this is a
:33:18. > :33:21.separate settlement. This is over three years. They are not happy
:33:21. > :33:26.with their way the settlement is going to be carried out and the
:33:26. > :33:30.cuts they will have to make. It is an important area and I want to
:33:30. > :33:35.debated by to it. I will get a debate about to get on Wednesday
:33:35. > :33:39.morning next week. We're going to move on to our top story tonight.
:33:39. > :33:46.It is about council tax. Wirral Borough Council approved
:33:46. > :33:50.plans to cut council tax by 3%. The Conservative led Cabinet had its
:33:50. > :33:55.budget has the support from the Lib Dems. Chorley this may also
:33:55. > :34:01.announced a reduction of 1% of am not -- while promising to increase
:34:01. > :34:05.spending. However, some councils are raising their council tax. This
:34:05. > :34:08.week on Radio 4, the local Government Minister Grant Shapps
:34:08. > :34:11.lamb BASSA local authorities are rejecting the Government's offer of
:34:11. > :34:20.a one-off grant to freeze council tax. He said they were setting
:34:20. > :34:25.themselves up for failure. It is a folly and a mistake. It is avoiding
:34:25. > :34:31.raising the council tax by more than 3.5% at the point to which a
:34:31. > :34:35.referendum which -- would have been triggered. He says there has to be
:34:35. > :34:40.our public referendum in council tax want to raise council tax above
:34:41. > :34:44.3.5%. Do you think your boss was being hard there Collingham
:34:44. > :34:48.democratic dodgers? People would say they lose something cynical
:34:48. > :34:52.about local authorities raising it just enough to avoid having a
:34:52. > :34:58.referendum. If there is that argument, take it out to the
:34:58. > :35:03.parlour -- to the public. He should not be afraid of the electorate. We
:35:03. > :35:09.have already spoken about Wirral and Chorley you have gone out and
:35:09. > :35:13.said we could cut council tax and still maintain your services. SIM
:35:13. > :35:20.isn't a place where council-tax was going up I would ask, how can
:35:20. > :35:24.Chorley and will do it? The figures did not add up. The one of
:35:24. > :35:31.Government grant being offered did not make up financially and they
:35:31. > :35:40.needed to raise council tax. This Government has prioritised freezing
:35:40. > :35:44.council tax. We are in difficult economic times. I am disappointed
:35:44. > :35:49.that Preston felt they couldn't take this money. My own view is
:35:49. > :35:51.take the money that is available now, used that to freeze council
:35:51. > :35:55.tax and extra have another conversation about why you should
:35:55. > :36:05.be going with your budgets. Yasmin Qureshi, what are your views on
:36:05. > :36:13.this? We had a fine 60 million savings. You would except that it
:36:13. > :36:19.got out of control with Labour? think what people forget is
:36:19. > :36:29.different parts of the country have different economic situations. You
:36:29. > :36:31.
:36:31. > :36:36.cannot compare Wigan with Chorley or Charlie with Preston. Bolton...
:36:36. > :36:42.Bolton is managing to freezer. is different to other parts of the
:36:42. > :36:46.country. Bolton has been more successful and more process --
:36:46. > :36:51.prosperous than other parts of the country. There are so many people
:36:51. > :36:56.who are socially and economically to provide. He cannot treat them
:36:56. > :36:58.all the same. It would be disappointing to here if you lived
:36:58. > :37:04.in Wigan or in Preston to think you're council was turning
:37:04. > :37:09.Government money away. It is available now, I say ticket. Give
:37:09. > :37:17.everyone who is there who was for you in the elections, the
:37:17. > :37:21.opportunity to have a one-year tax break. -- council tax break. Her it
:37:21. > :37:24.is said to be the biggest single reform to a police service and a
:37:24. > :37:28.generation - the introduction of elected police commissioners. Those
:37:28. > :37:32.voted into power in November will control budgets, set policing
:37:32. > :37:35.priorities and have the power to fire chief constables have they
:37:35. > :37:39.failed to perform. The idea Commissioners is something of an
:37:39. > :37:41.alien concept in the UK. Peter Marshall has been to America to
:37:41. > :37:45.find out more about the philosophy behind it.
:37:45. > :37:49.Everyone would want crime rates to head south, but should we be
:37:49. > :37:54.looking West for inspiration? This is Springfield, Massachusetts. It
:37:54. > :38:03.is the birthplace of all basketball and Dr Suess of Cat In The Hat fame.
:38:03. > :38:06.It is a beautiful city in parts, but it has an ugly problem.
:38:06. > :38:10.There were 19 mergers here last year - drugs and guns have a
:38:10. > :38:15.problem. William J Fitchet is a city's police commissioner. There
:38:15. > :38:18.is no set model in the US - commissioners can be civilian
:38:18. > :38:23.administrators are like William J Fitchet long-time police officers.
:38:23. > :38:30.They can be elected or appointed. Today he is launching his new
:38:30. > :38:34.initiative, Operation Badge, he has met and listen to residents sunset
:38:34. > :38:38.policing priorities to tackle or issues. There is no question that
:38:38. > :38:42.of the public is not on board with your mission and you with your
:38:42. > :38:48.objectives than those objectors are much more difficult to obtain. So
:38:48. > :38:52.when all things, communication is so vital. So these patrol men no
:38:52. > :38:58.longer spend their day reacting to 9/11 cols. They have been freed up
:38:58. > :39:02.to go proactive - to look for trouble and tackle it.
:39:02. > :39:07.commissioner's sole function is to relate to the community. He has
:39:07. > :39:12.enabled us to utilise any resources renewed. Away get more free time to
:39:12. > :39:16.catch bad guys and that is what we do. The commissioner can also drive
:39:17. > :39:21.through change. Take for example, a shot spotters system which was his
:39:21. > :39:26.baby. What you're about to say happens in real time. When a gun is
:39:26. > :39:28.fired in Springfield... Thanks to our network of
:39:28. > :39:32.microphones covering three square miles of the city centre and
:39:32. > :39:37.computers and every patrol car, this is how long it takes for every
:39:37. > :39:47.policeman on the streets to know there has been a shooting. And
:39:47. > :39:52.
:39:52. > :39:54.exactly what happened. We are on the scene within minutes.
:39:54. > :39:59.So this a Maridjan police commissioner his hands on - a mix
:39:59. > :40:06.of high ranking chief and police authority. But he controls an area
:40:06. > :40:11.not much bigger than Blackpool. -- so this American police
:40:11. > :40:13.commissioner. Our system will be different,
:40:14. > :40:19.commissioners or represent larger constabulary areas. They will all
:40:19. > :40:24.be civilian administrators - remove from day today policing. But the
:40:24. > :40:30.poll is -- the philosophy appears similar - listen to communities -
:40:30. > :40:34.give them a voice and set priorities accordingly. I remind
:40:34. > :40:38.police chief constables the first duty is to the community they serve.
:40:38. > :40:43.This will put the public and the driving seat for the first time to
:40:43. > :40:46.ensure that their priorities and fighting crime are reflected. A so
:40:46. > :40:51.all our police and authorities will go - replaced by a single
:40:51. > :40:54.commissioner elected every four years. As well as answering to us,
:40:54. > :40:59.the commissioner will be scrutinised by a police and crime
:40:59. > :41:04.panelled - mainly local councillors. Elections take place on November
:41:04. > :41:09.15th. Umesh -- commissioners could come from any background. Lord
:41:09. > :41:14.Prescott says he will stand. Falklands veteran Simon Weston is
:41:14. > :41:18.interested that, as is former Crimewatch presenter Nick Ross.
:41:18. > :41:24.Locally, former Merseyside MPs Jane Kennedy and Peter Kilfoyle want to
:41:24. > :41:28.stand, as does Manchester Central MP Tony Lloyd. But critics here say
:41:28. > :41:32.it is a waste of money that would better be spent on more frontline
:41:32. > :41:42.officers. Elected commissioners say they will be guilty of short-term
:41:42. > :41:43.
:41:43. > :41:50.populism, with election, not effective pulsing their priority.
:41:50. > :41:54.I am joined by two guests. A why are you so in favour? I think
:41:54. > :41:59.this is the biggest shake-up for the police service within a
:41:59. > :42:03.generation. For too long I think the public haven't had a loud
:42:03. > :42:07.enough voice with regard to their policing. Policing involves us all,
:42:07. > :42:13.we are all interested in how the police perform. And I think this is
:42:13. > :42:19.a tremendous flagship policy by the coalition Government to give the
:42:19. > :42:24.public of Lancashire and the wider country a real voice. If you look
:42:24. > :42:29.at the present system, the police are authorities - they are in
:42:29. > :42:39.invisible bunch of people. Let me bring in councillor Kemp. I think
:42:39. > :42:47.this is a crackpot idea. I have said it before. I did it on behalf
:42:47. > :42:52.of the Local Government Association. Why? We will have elections. We
:42:52. > :43:00.will be talking about policemen on the beat. The Police Commission
:43:00. > :43:04.does not have much power or responsibility. But he doesn't have
:43:04. > :43:10.much responsibility - what is wrong with that? The least will have
:43:10. > :43:18.aspirations that the job is worth something and do something. -- that
:43:18. > :43:25.people will have aspirations. There are hundreds of police plans on
:43:25. > :43:35.Merseyside. I attend A1 for my reward. So one man cannot know what
:43:35. > :43:42.
:43:42. > :43:46.the needs are for so many people. will pick up on that - Lancashire's
:43:46. > :43:54.police commissioners said he had concerns. His it is not about one
:43:54. > :43:58.person. It is not one person who is going to decide on this. The
:43:58. > :44:03.commissioner will build a team around him. It is like saying the
:44:03. > :44:07.police constable it is one person. He has an executive team around him.
:44:07. > :44:11.Let's go back to the central point, you talk about the police and
:44:11. > :44:21.authorities. Let's look to what our Lancashire Police Authority dead...
:44:21. > :44:27.Has I am going to stop you there. But we need to broaden this out.
:44:27. > :44:34.With unpleasing there is a huge democratic deficit. We police in
:44:34. > :44:38.this country via consent. I found out this week that the Chief
:44:38. > :44:43.Constable of Lancashire and his top team all have private healthcare at
:44:43. > :44:49.over �12,000 a year. How many people in Lancashire or want that
:44:49. > :44:54.is what I wore my police money spent on? But can one and eventual
:44:54. > :45:00.change that? He can sell local priorities. We all prioritised her
:45:00. > :45:04.girlie and speed cameras. So who will be manning the force? Their
:45:04. > :45:09.Chief Constable will have day today running of the force. The
:45:09. > :45:13.commissioner will set priorities. That is what people care about. If
:45:13. > :45:22.my house is broken into, if well that they followed up or will there
:45:22. > :45:24.be a policeman with a speed camera at the end of my road every day?
:45:24. > :45:30.mentions about the club Chief Constable's private health
:45:30. > :45:40.arrangements. That is in the terms of -- terms and conditions of
:45:40. > :45:42.
:45:42. > :45:46.employment. I think that is irrelevant. The Labour Party now
:45:46. > :45:51.supports private healthcare! We're talking about the role of elected
:45:51. > :46:01.commissioners. It is �180 million being wasted when we are making
:46:01. > :46:15.
:46:15. > :46:20.cuts in police services, it is a waste of money. Let me bring in
:46:20. > :46:25.councillor Ken. People want to be involved in local police priorities.
:46:25. > :46:30.No one has ever come into my office and said there is a problem in
:46:30. > :46:35.Southport. They will meet to work with my community and work with the
:46:35. > :46:38.police station and work with their people and other groups to solve
:46:38. > :46:46.local problems. Adding a police commissioner will add nothing to
:46:46. > :46:51.deal with that. You are missing a trick that if you did put up
:46:51. > :46:56.candidates, you could control that policy. You could change that are
:46:56. > :47:01.the better. Away are putting up candidates. We don't like these
:47:01. > :47:07.positions. We do not like elected positions. You cannot pretend
:47:07. > :47:17.they're not there. We will fight them on this local basis. I have
:47:17. > :47:18.
:47:18. > :47:23.heard a lot of nonsense. You have not read the relevant act. This is
:47:23. > :47:27.an ideal opportunity. There is a disconnect between the general
:47:27. > :47:32.public and the police service. And as Jake has alluded to, the police
:47:32. > :47:37.service cannot police without the full support of the public. And
:47:37. > :47:42.this is an ideal opportunity to give the public of Lancashire a
:47:42. > :47:50.voice. A voice that they do not have at the moment. Do you know how
:47:50. > :47:58.many people, any names, of any relevant police as 30 members?
:47:58. > :48:04.is irrelevant. No, it isn't. Always a 30s exists there. I have regular
:48:04. > :48:10.meetings at my local police station. I speak to inspectors and I pass on
:48:10. > :48:13.the concerns of my constituents. I think any police constable does not
:48:13. > :48:18.know what the priorities and concerns are of the people in that
:48:18. > :48:28.area are, then you are sadly lacking their judgement of their
:48:28. > :48:32.capabilities. Just hold on one second. I openly admit I probably
:48:32. > :48:37.cannot name one-person unlike police and authority in Lancashire.
:48:37. > :48:43.They are like the invisible people. People do not know how to hold them
:48:43. > :48:48.into account. They should be able to be held to account. People need
:48:48. > :48:52.to know who their local councillors are, where to go far a problems
:48:52. > :48:56.setting problem. They want to see the problems being dealt with
:48:56. > :48:59.immediately. An elected police commissioner will not be able to do
:48:59. > :49:06.that. And the structure will be weakened and take-away that
:49:06. > :49:14.localism that most people rely on. This is a classic case of fear of
:49:14. > :49:18.the unknown. At a time when reckoned cuts are being made, to
:49:18. > :49:25.raise �180 million on another -- unnecessary Commissioners as a
:49:25. > :49:32.complete waste of money. There were five referendums in the Labour
:49:32. > :49:36.referendum. To oppose one, when you had five Enya referendum is one
:49:36. > :49:40.that beggars belief. Someone else has also announced
:49:40. > :49:47.their interest in the police commissioner role in Lancashire.
:49:47. > :49:54.That is Ibrahim Master who wants to stand as a Labour candidate.
:49:54. > :49:59.Let's have a look at this week's events of David Saville.
:49:59. > :50:03.David Morris, the Mark -- MP for more common line -- and his ilk as
:50:03. > :50:07.asked David Cameron for assurance that the management of the
:50:07. > :50:11.arresting hospitals of Morecambe Bay Trust will be in for it. It has
:50:11. > :50:14.been investigated of the deaths of seven babies and has been warned
:50:14. > :50:19.that an accident and emergency unit could be closed unless standards
:50:19. > :50:22.improve. It is being turned around at that were needs to be undertaken
:50:22. > :50:26.with all speed. A hostel for young homeless mothers
:50:26. > :50:31.and their babies and Manchester is closing after 30 years. Manchester
:50:31. > :50:35.City Council is cutting funding to the charity which operates a must
:50:35. > :50:39.have -- a hostel. They say it is because of Government cuts.
:50:39. > :50:45.Charlie council says it will still be able to increase spending even
:50:45. > :50:50.though it is reducing council tax by 1%. -- Chorley Council. They say
:50:50. > :50:55.�1 million will be spent on community police officers, improve
:50:55. > :50:58.the environment and creating jobs. And a hospital trusts in the North
:50:58. > :51:01.West of agreed to publish a monthly update on the safety and quality of