Meet the quango that uses your money to stop you having any say ...
That's right. The Association of Police Authorities use your money to lobby government to try to stop you having a direct say over how your community is policed.
Even the government's own officials recognise that the public is losing faith in the criminal justice system. With local police officers forced to answer to remote target-setters, the public's own priorities are too often ignored. The answer is to give local people a greater say over how their communities are policed.
Yet the quangocrats who benefit from the current undemocratic system don't want real
accountability. It's no surprise - turkeys don't vote for Christmas.
But it is outrageous that they should be able to use public money to pay lobbyists to short circuit our democracy like this. All three political parties are now committed to making police more democratically accountable. Yet here we have a quango, founded in 1997 and in receipt of large sums of public money, lobbying to stop you deciding police priorities where you live.
Here's my email to the APA asking for details. I'll keep you posted:
From:
CARSWELL, Douglas
Sent:
05 January 2009 13:49
To:
'fionnuala.gill@lga.gov.uk'
Cc:
'ian.barnes@lga.gov.uk'; 'bob.jones@lga.gov.uk'; 'm.bryant@connectpa.co.uk'
Subject:
Lobbying against localism
Dear Ms Gill,
I am writing to you with a request for some information. I should be most grateful if you would provide me with the answers.
Please could you let me know how much public money the Association of Police Authorities, and any of your member Authorities, is paying to lobby with regard to the Policing and Criminal Justice Bill specifically, and with regard to reform of Police Authority structures more generally.
In a phone conversation this morning with a lobbyist at Connect Public Affairs, it was confirmed to me that the Association of Police Authorities is paying money to retain the services of Connect. Can you please let me know how much public money you are giving Connect in relation to this lobbying?
Please can you also provide me with a copy of the brief, and other related paperwork, submitted to Connect Public Affairs in relation to this contract?
I would also be grateful if you would let me know how much money the APA receives from various sources each year?
Finally, I note that the APA uses the slogan "Giving People a Say in Policing" on your website. Can you please explain how that is compatible with using public money to lobby against the democratisation of Police Authority structures?
I look forward to your reply.
Warm regards,
Douglas Carswell MP
Posted on 5 January 2009 by Douglas Carswell