Burglary and car crime not listed in possible priorities for Hertfordshire police
1:20pm Friday 18th November 2011
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Senior politicians have defended an advert sent to residents about policing priorities in Hertfordshire – which did not include serious issues such as burglary and car crime.
This week the county received the council-printed Horizons magazine with a full-page advertisement from Hertfordshire Police Authority on the back
page.
The piece asked residents to fill out a form highlighting three crime areas they want officers to focus on in the coming year.
Among the crime areas listed on the advert were dangerous dogs, business crime, rural crime and motoring offences.
Politicians who sit on the authority’s ruling panel conceded the advert could have contained more specific and less confusing areas to focus on.
However they said there was a blank box in which residents could raise particular concerns.
Derek Scudder, the Liberal Democrat deputy mayor who sits on the police authority, said: “I agree burglary could have been in there, but that is what the
empty box is for. You can put anything in there.”
David Lloyd, the Conservative chairman of the authority, added the exercise had been to find out what crimes people wanted police to focus on. He said: “I don’t think we have missed concerns.”
The advert comes as the authority gears up for a dramatic change next year as its ruling panel is due to be replaced by a directly-elected police commissioner.
This week government ministers revealed that the new commissioners could be paid salaries of up to £100,000 a year for their service.
The 21 members of Hertfordshire’s Police Authority are currently paid around £130,000 a year in basic allowances. The news sparked a disagreement at the authority as Hertfordshire Lib Dems argued
that the county’s in-coming commissioner should be paid around half that – in line with the leader of the county council who gets around £40,000 allowance.
Mr Lloyd said he backed the authority’s salary review panel decision to set the Hertfordshire commissioner’s pay packet at around £75,000.
He said: “If it was compared to a £200 million business in the private sector and the chairman of that organisation I suspect it will be considerably less.”
Elections for the new police commissioner have been scheduled for November next year and it will most likely be fought along party political lines. Mr Lloyd said the commissioner’s post looked like
an “interesting role”, but that he would support whoever the Conservatives select as a candidate in next year’s election.
Talking about whether he would be interested in standing, he added: “I am not sure what the procedure will be so I am not in the position to confirm or deny anything.”
Comments(2)
Reg Edit
says…
1:51pm Fri 18 Nov 11
Senior politicians, seemingly having a senior moment, have shown they are not fit for purpose.
Is the gene pool now so limited we must elect such people to office? Where are all the good people who would do good jobs as politicians?
Reg Edit
anon34
says…
3:23pm Fri 18 Nov 11
Perhaps burglary and car crime will become more of a police priority once our streetlights get switched off !!!
anon34
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