If Police Officers were tasked with the job of dealing with crimes that matter the most to people in our communities, we would end up with some very distorted results. In the days when I was working in the voluntary sector and took part in a number of committees which focused on local needs and concerns, one of the most popular ‘crimes’ that was raised by articulate people was the fouling of footpaths by dogs. Thankfully the Police are not expected to spend time and public money covertly following the occasional stray dog and dog owners to see which are the culprits. We need to keep our communities clean of dog poo, but the police understandably focus on more important matters. Because I have the privilege of working with Police Officers on a number of levels, I know that they are constantly working to ensure that their actions protect the most vulnerable members of society. Sadly such people are often not in any position to call for help or demand that they are treated as a priority. The whole point of any public service is to take into account all people and prioritise those who lack the voice to make demands, but who are at greatest risk of injury and pain. It is deeply disturbing that when asked a simple question about Hunting by another Tory member of the House of Lords that Baroness Susan Williams, the Home Office Minister wrote a response that not only failed to deal with the question but suggested that only crimes that matter most to local residents should be of concern to Police and Crime Commissioners:

Lord Wasserman – do local Police and Crime Commissioners have any role to play in the enforcement of the Hunting Act 2004; and if so, what is that role.

Baroness Williams – It is an operational decision for individual Chief Constables to determine how their resources are deployed and it is for locally elected Police and Crime Commissioners to hold their forces to account, including on how they tackle the crimes that matter most to residents and businesses in rural and urban areas alike. The election of Police and Crime Commissioners has given communities – including those in rural areas – a strong voice in determining how police resources are allocated to tackle the crimes that matter most to them.

Police and Crime Commissioners are supposed to hold Chief Constables to account and work with them to set out strategic priorities, not to act as a megaphone for local interest groups who are already quite capable of sending in demands to Chief Constables. Deciding which crimes are investigated is a matter for Chief Constables and is not something that public opinions should influence.