Simon Jenkins rightly rues the outcome of "Cameron mugging Clarke" (Comment, 24 June) but there could yet be a happy ending for this tale of tabloid-driven crime policy, since the shelving of suggested changes to sentencing has left the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) searching to find an estimated �130m of savings elsewhere.
The policing minister, Nick Herbert, splits his time between the MoJ and policing issues; perhaps he might come to his boss's aid by dropping the costly idea of putting policing governance into the hands of single directly elected sheriffs?
Independent estimates have put the costs of elections and transition to this risky new system at �132m, and Ken Clarke has himself described the idea as "mad", so might dropping sheriffs close the budget gap?
While the tabloids back the idea, peers threw it out and recent polling commissioned by Liberty revealed that 65% of the public are opposed to putting policing at the behest of one individual, so might ditching this "madness" make amends for a "mugging"?
Chair, Kent Police Authority, and deputy chair, Association of Police Authorities
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/jun/27/shelve-sheriffs-police-crime-policy
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