Cutting police bureaucracy

The Home Office review of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE) has proposed changes to streamline powers of officers on the frontline and make dealings with the public more efficient.

The measures set out in the review aim to reduce bureaucracy and red tape that can hold up and slow down the criminal justice system.

The key changes proposed in the review include:

Bail
A common basis for granting or refusing bail, attaching conditions, enforcing conditions and dealing with those who fail to answer bail should be developed to close gaps in complex bail laws becoming confusing and complex.

Stop and search: In the case of stop and search, written records should be replaced by a receipt from a hand-held computer, believed to save time for police on the frontline by anything from six to 25 minutes for each stop.

Questioning after charge

Clarity is needed on when questioning can occur. Because of that it is proposed that questioning after charge or after a decision to refer to the prosecutor should be subject to the needs of the investigation and prosecution process.

The power to conduct further questioning as a bail condition should be granted, as well as the power to arrest and detain for such questioning.

Detention: Reviews to grant permission for extended detention should be allowed remotely (by telephone or video link). It is also proposed that these extensions be granted by officers ranked as inspectors or above.

Healthcare

To ensure that the NHS provides equivalent care in the police station as would be expected outside the station.

Appropriate adults

Parents or guardians should still attend interviews with juveniles, but the interview and investigation process should not be delayed until their arrival. Instead, a suitable, capable and trained appropriate adult should attend the police station within specified time limits.

The review also makes a number of recommendations on workforce modernisation including; the extension of staff powers beyond the home force, creating designated crime scene investigators and having designated staff to manage certain Registered Sex Offenders (RSO).

National Workforce Modernisation Programme director Chief Supt Derek Mann has spoken positively of the recommendations the review makes to improve the efficiency of policing through contemporary methods. “We have been working with forces engaged in the programme to maximise the impact of frontline policing. Issues have arisen, such as the extension of designated staff powers beyond the home force, which will enable staff and officers to work together more effectively as one team.

“We believe this consultation has identified wider opportunities for police staff to contribute positively to frontline policing alongside and in support of police officers. These opportunities will allow police officers to really focus on deploying their particular skill sets and powers in areas where they will achieve maximum impact, not least of which is the unique ability to use individual discretion.”

The consultation board – which included the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), Association of Police Authorities (APA) and the Police Federation – emphasised that PACE is a key element in:

•Protecting the rights of the individual from arbitrary interference when they come into contact with the police.
•Providing police officers and staff with a set of rules and procedures which protects them in their contact with the public.
•Minimising challenges in court on investigation and evidence gathering.
•Providing a tried and trusted approach which has support across the criminal justice system.

Home Office Minister Tony McNulty said: “Through PACE we have sought to further reduce police bureaucracy, making sure that the public feel confident with police accountability while at the same time ensuring that the police have the powe