HC Deb 24 January 1983 vol 35 cc262-3W
Mr. John Hunt

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if, following his reply to the hon. Member for Chipping Barnet (Mr. Chapman) on 16 December 1982, Official Report, c. 472, he will publish the recommendations of the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis in his report on his problems and priorities; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Whitelaw

On 1 October 1982, as police authority for the Metropolitan Police, I invited the Commissioner on taking up his office to give me within three months a preliminary report, outlining his plans and priorities. I asked the Commissioner, in determining his objectives and priorities, to give particular attention to the present high level of crime, including street crime and burglary; the problems of maintenance of public order in the capital; community involvement; and the organisation and structure of the force. The Commissioner was fully aware that I wished his assessment to take place against the objective of improving police effectiveness in the metropolis, and of ensuring that the resources now allocated to the Metropolitan Police were thoroughly reviewed and properly utilised.

The Commissioner has presented his report to me. I have given it careful study, and fully discussed his proposals with him. I have thought it right to place in the Library of the House his summary of the recommendations and of the arguments which give rise to them.

I believe that the Commissioner's proposals, and the action that will follow, will respond to the primary concerns of the majority of the people who live and work in the metropolis through focusing more directly both on persistent crime problems and on improving co-operation between police and public.

The Commissioner has emphasised to me that his report is preliminary, and that it is not comprehensive. His proposals represent a programme of selective action for the next twelve months, and in implementing them he and I look forward to taking account of the views of hon. Members, especially those with constituencies in the metropolis. From my discussions with a number of hon. Members already, I am confident that the Commissioner's present proposals are attuned very much to their constituents' practical concerns. The same message came from the majority of local authority representatives in my recent discussions with the London Boroughs Association and the Outer Districts Consultative Association.

The Commissioner intends to present to the range of consultative groups which have been, and which are being, set up in response to the guidelines I issued on 16 June, specific proposals for action in their areas. He and I look forward to the engagement of these and other local groups in practical proposals for joint action on the ground.

I have indicated to the Commissioner that he will be able to count on building up Metropolitan Police manpower by the end of the financial year 1983–84 to a total establishment figure of nearly 27,000. With my Department there will be, during the course of this year, a thorough review of manpower and expenditure. This work will be done against the essential policy requirement that resources should only be increased where both the need for them, and their value in use, is proven.

I accept the Commissioner's decision to tackle the managerial and organisational arrangements of the Metropolitan Police very deliberately. Again, in conjunction with my Department, the force's rank structure and the relationship of headquarters and districts will be thoroughly re-examined in the light of the operational policies the Commissioner proposes to adopt. In discussing his report with the Commissioner I have emphasised the need for the closest possible co-operation between the Metropolitan Police and Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary.

The Commissioner, and I, are both determined to ensure that whatever criticisms may be levelled at particular aspects of Metropolitan policing, London is provided with a programme of effective law enforcement, springing from close community involvement and consultation. I have asked the Commissioner to review annually the objectives and priorities of the force in the light of his assessment of the needs of the people who live and work in London, the views of this House, of the boroughs and districts who pay the precept, and against the background of general Government policy. He will report to me annually with any proposals for change, and his recommendations will be made public in future.