Police and Justice Bill

Yes; the hon. Member for The Wrekin is not present. He raised the subject of West Mercia police, which is an excellent police force, but is not currently assessed on level 2 issues involving serious and organised crime. His contribution was reasonable, and I assure him that the proposals are designed to strengthen protective services and provide resilience for neighbourhood policing. The commitment to the provision of neighbourhood policing, together with the national quality of service standards, should mean extra neighbourhood policing in both rural areas and high-crime areas. The hon. Member for The Wrekin said that he had not had an opportunity to debate the amalgamations on the Floor of the House, although he has had the opportunity to debate CSO powers. However, the Police Act 1996 was introduced by a Conservative Government, and we are proceeding under those provisions. The 1996 Act did not provide for referendums, so we are proceeding in the accepted way. I entirely reject the proposition advanced by the hon. Member for The Wrekin that morale in the police service is low. The Police Federation, the superintendents, the Association of Chief Police Officers and Unison all see merit in the proposals to move to larger more strategic forces, which will give us more capacity and resilience. The hon. Member for Hornchurch (James Brokenshire) discussed centralisation, which I have dealt with. He also discussed the establishment of the single inspectorate, which is not about saving money. We anticipate spending the same amount of money, although we may make some marginal efficiency savings. The inspectorate of prisons is important, particularly given the human rights issues concerning the treatment of prisoners in custody. We must bring the inspectorates together, but we have given an undertaking that we will not abolish the role of the prisons inspector until we are satisfied that the new combined inspectorate can deal with such issues properly. The hon. Member for Mid-Dorset and North Poole (Annette Brooke) discussed children and young people. I am delighted that she now welcomes the role of CSOs, and if she examines clause 4(2), she will see the provision on proper training and CSO powers. I confirm that I am working incredibly closely with the Minister for Children and Families in the Department for Education and Skills, the Minister of Communities and Local Government in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on all the issues in the respect plan. I was delighted by the generosity of the hon. Member for Mid-Dorset and North Poole in admitting that parenting orders can be extremely effective. Many parents say that they wish that they had had parenting orders years ago, and that those orders are the best things that have happened to their families. The hon. Member for Kettering (Mr. Hollobone) discussed persistent and prolific offenders. He wants the Bill to give police community support officers the power to disperse people outside as well as inside dispersal zones. The proposals for dispersal orders were fought hard by Liberal Democrat Members, and we now have provisions to disperse groups within an area. General dispersal orders would probably stretch things too far, but I understand the passion with which the hon. Gentleman made that point, because he wants to ensure that the community is safer. I think that we have struck the right balance on dispersal orders, which local authorities can use to make communities significantly safer. The hon. Member for Harwich (Mr. Carswell) wants to see the introduction of elected sheriffs and, as he described it, ““real localism””. As I have said, we have some concerns about politicisation and the possibility of police authorities being taken over by those who shout loudest, and there is the possibility of extremist involvement, too. My hon. Friend the Member for Thurrock (Andrew Mackinlay) made some excellent points about longer sentences for violent crime, and he knows that the Violent Crime Reduction Bill includes measures covering guns and knives. He said that he has ““a large river frontage””—although I think that it is his constituency that has the large river frontage, rather than him. That means that he has an excellent knowledge of immigration issues and problems involving ports and borders. He called again for the creation of a dedicated force to address such matters, and we are making sure that the police force, special branch and immigration officials work more closely together to deliver a joined-up service. The current system probably does not go far enough for my hon. Friend, and I am sure that he will continue to press us. He also mentioned travel information and extradition; I am sure that he, like us, will continue to press for the endorsement of the extradition treaty. The hon. Member for Rayleigh (Mr. Francois)—an abundance of Essex men spoke in the debate—welcomed neighbourhood policing, and asked for continuity in police appointments. That is a genuine point. North Wales adopted a system whereby the neighbourhood policing teams committed for a period of two to three years on a contract basis, which has enabled them to build relationships with their local community. That is the kind of development that I would want to see. However, these are operational matters for the chief constable; they are not to be dictated from the centre but decided locally. I acknowledge the hon. Gentleman’s strength of feeling about mergers, which he shares with other Members from Essex. We will take advice from the professionals at Her Majesty’s inspectorate of constabulary, who will give us their considered assessment of the ability of the forces to cope with level 2 serious and organised crime. I know that the hon. Gentleman will want to ensure that his constituents are properly protected and at the same time have good, effective neighbourhood policing.