For the first time people will be given a say in how their local area is policed through directly elected Police and Crime Commissioners and we are strengthening the powers that police and councils have to tackle crime and disorder at a local level.
In a bold shift of power, the Government has outlined plans to move decision-making out of Whitehall and end the era of top-down bureaucracy with a new framework of democratic accountability for the police. Police and crime Commissioners will make forces truly accountable to the communities they serve and ensure that resources are properly targeted to where they are needed.
The new Police Reform and Social Responsibility Bill will also rebalance the Licensing Act to give the public and local agencies an even greater say over policies to tackle crime and disorder.
Home Secretary Theresa May said 'These new measures will place the public back at the heart of our drive to cut crime, giving them a say in how their local area is policed by electing a Police and Crime Commissioner, and strengthening the powers that police and councils need to tackle crime and disorder at a local level.”
And she added, 'For too long, the fight against crime has been tangled up in a web of centrally imposed red tape that has driven a wedge between law enforcement agencies and the communities they serve. I am determined to rebalance that by giving the public and the police and councils the powers they need to deal with the issues that blight too many of our communities.'