Policing and Crime Bill

The issue raised in proposed new Section 23C(1) was discussed at Second Reading by several noble Lords. I would like to reassure them that the Bill’s provisions are not intended as a form of micromanagement being imposed on the police service because the Home Office does not trust it to make its own judgment on collaboration. As the noble Baroness, Lady Harris, properly pointed out, the police have been carrying out collaborations for a long time. For that reason there is no blanket requirement for all collaboration plans to be given the Government’s stamp of approval. However, where agreements are so geographically extensive that they exceed even the largest of the ACPO policing regions—six police force areas being the largest for these regions—that would represent a strategically significant development of which the Government would want to be aware as early as possible. It is possible that such planned agreements could work against broader plans nationally. The Home Office and its police partners would need to ensure that such a conflict did not arise. That is why we are looking at that provision. Under the new provisions, individual collaboration agreements can be made only by forces or police authorities. A collaboration involving six forces and six authorities will therefore be formed using two agreements of six parties each under the legislation. Therefore such collaboration would not trigger the safeguard, but if it was greater, it would. That concern was raised by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary during the consultation with the police service on the legislation’s development. There was general agreement that a mechanism was needed with as light a touch as possible to guard against that eventuality. I am happy to clarify that we are determined that the process of seeking approval in such a case would not impose any significant burden, although I appreciate that timing can be an issue. Large-scale agreements are not made overnight and early notice of such plans on the scale being considered should allow the Secretary of State, with the advice of HMIC, ample room to confirm within the appropriate time frame that there is no conflict. In answer to the noble Baroness, Lady Hanham, we are trying to look at collaboration across the board at all levels, covering almost everything, so that we can work better and more closely together. As I say, we are looking at these larger-scale collaboration agreements as ones where we would like to monitor and take action, while in the smaller-scale agreements we would let people get on with it themselves. For the reasons I have given, I cannot agree to the proposed amendment. I hope that, on the basis of these assurances, the noble Baroness will withdraw her amendment.