Mr. MACLEANasked the Home Secretary whether any protests have been made by county, city, or borough councils against the removal of control of police from these bodies and now vested in the Home Secretary by Section 4 of the Police Act, 1919; and, if so, will he give particulars of the bodies so protesting and state how he proposes to deal with them?
§ Mr. SHORTTThe Police Act, 1919, does not vest the control of the county and borough police forces in the Secretary of State. It extends, and applies to borough forces, the power of making general Regulations which the Secretary of State has always had under the County 1383W Police Act, 1839, and thus enables him after consultation with the police authorities to introduce some degree of uniformity in the conditions of service of the police in the various forces. Such action has long been recognised as desirable by the police authorities themselves, and on more than one occasion they have urged its adoption on the Home Office. Objections have been raised by some of the borough police authorities to certain provisions dealing with discipline in the Regulations made last August. These objections appear to have been due to misapprehension of the effect of the Regulations. The matter has been fully discussed with a deputation from the police authorities concerned, and I think that the difficulties have now been removed.