New Sherriff’s in town
Posted on This is My Truth on 9 September There can be little doubt that this is a radical Government. And one of its most radical innovations is almost upon us, and yet there has been very little debate in Wales about how it is going to work in practice. In a little over a year’s time we are going to elect a Police Commissioner to oversee each ofWales’ four police forces. Each will have the power to hire and fire Chief Constables. But equally significant will be the considerable informal power that they will exert. Democratic mandates being what they are, the Commissioners will become significant players on the Welsh political scene. They will undoubtedly want to shape the communities they serve as well as influencing the national debate. There has, inevitably, been strong opposition to the move by the Police Federation who fear it will lead to the politicization of the police force – a point reinforced by the existing Police Authorities and the Welsh Chief Constables who do not wi