Policing and Crime Bill

My Lords, now begins a series of amendments to Clause 5. Amendments 8 and 9 would remove the current power of veto, which appears to have been given to chief officers over authority collaboration agreements and ensures that an authority only needs to consult a chief officer about agreements which affect the police force, as opposed to just the police authority. Amendment 8 seeks to remove lines 4 to 7 because the ability of a police authority to determine what is in its best interest when dealing with collaboration matters appears in the Bill to be handed over to the chief officer. I will develop this argument in following amendments, but I seek to hear the Minister’s views on these amendments at this point. I beg to move.