Following his speech in the House of Commons on Monday 4 February about policing in South West Norfolk, Christopher Fraser has welcomed the recommendation by Sir Ronnie Flanagan, the Chief Inspector of Constabulary, to cut bureaucracy and the time wasted by unnecessary form-filling.
Christopher Fraser said, “David Cameron has pledged to scrap the “stop & search” form which Conservatives believe will save 1.3 million police hours per year spent on paperwork, and get police back on the street. That commitment has been proved fully justified by the conclusions of this independent review.
“Sir Ronnie has also recommended strengthening accountability of the police at a local level so that the public’s views are heard and their police service is responsive to their needs. In the House this week, I made it clear how important it is that local people have confidence that officers are there to respond when needed. There is an urgent need for a wider debate about the different needs of different communities. The Government’s top-down, one-size-fits-all approach that is hampering proper policing has been shown up by this review, and the Home Secretary must take it seriously.
“The needs of rural western Norfolk are not the same as they are in Norwich, and a far cry from those in the huge metropolitan cities. This must be taken into account by the Government, and Norfolk Constabulary freed up by proper financing to decide how best to meet the needs of the community.”
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