Let forces set targets, says police chief

Britain's best-performing police forces should be freed from government targets and interference, a senior police chief urged today.

Ken Jones, president of the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo), said these forces should be able to set their own priorities, guided by local people.

His call for the creation of "foundation forces", similar to foundation hospitals, is sure to be seized on by the Tories as proof that senior police officers are sick of centralised targets introduced by Labour since 1997.

Earlier this week, Gordon Brown's new neighbourhood police adviser Louise Casey called for targets to be replaced with a catch-all measure of "public confidence" in crime-fighting.

Mr Jones said matters such as counterterrorism must remain under central control to prevent a "free-for-all" but said ministers should consider the idea of allowing forces to have locally-set priorities.

Under his plans, the Met could be one of the forces freed of Whitehall control, although its special role in countering terrorism means that it would retain some links.

Surrey Police has made clear that it disagrees with some government targets and effectively ignores them. A handful of constabularies, including Durham, are said to be interested in becoming the first foundation forces, but Mr Jones says he believes there is resistance among officials in Whitehall.

Acpo, which represents police chiefs in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, has submitted the proposal to the Home Office for further consideration in the forthcoming Green Paper on police reform.

Foundation hospitals are still part of the NHS but can set their own financial and operational priorities and are run by an elected board of governors.

Four English police forces are already piloting a "commonsense" approach, which gives individual officers greater discretion about making arrests.

But Mr Jones said it was time to take "a few more risks". He said: "If a force is performing well we could say, 'Actually, we'll just leave that force to plough its own furrow and we'll see where it goes'. We in Acpo are actually convinced and 100 per cent confident that more performance, more efficiency, would then follow and fundamentally, more confidence in the public."

Home Office Minister Tony McNulty said that the Government was considering Acpo's suggestions.

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