Member

This is also about a wider leadership crisis. In several recent rounds, there have been few and even no applicants for chief constable roles. Potential candidates are deterred because they fear being removed for reasons of political convenience rather than genuine failure. We on these Benches believe that no single individual—whether a PCC, a mayor or indeed the Home Secretary—should wield unilateral power over a chief constable’s career. If the Government proceed with plans to restore the Home Secretary’s powers of dismissal, these independent safeguards must be the baseline to prevent a drift towards political control.