Police and Justice Bill

I support the Government amendments, in particular new clause 4 and amendment No. 64. The proposals to set up an all-Wales police force have been extremely controversial in Wales, especially in north Wales. North Wales Labour MPs have been listening closely to their constituents’ views about the proposals and were regularly in close and active discussions with my hon. Friend the Minister’s predecessor, the right hon. Member for Salford (Hazel Blears), who is now the Minister without Portfolio, and the previous Home Secretary, my right hon. Friend the Member for Norwich, South (Mr. Clarke). We look forward to continuing those discussions with my hon. Friend. I have already benefited from several talks with him. Much of the reason for the strength of the controversy in north Wales is that we are extremely proud of our local police force. We have one of the lowest crime rates in the UK and one of the highest detection rates. A person who commits a crime in north Wales is more likely to be caught. North Wales police force is such a good force because of legislation introduced by the Labour Government. The Crime and Disorder Act 1998 was the most successful, far-sighted and effective legislation on policing since the second world war. It has made policing local. If Opposition Members had an active and close relationship with their local police forces they would know that with the advent of community safety partnerships, co-operation between local authorities and police forces has developed hugely since 1997 under the Labour Government.