Nadine Challenges Chief Constable Of Bedfordshire Police
Posted by Nadine Dorries, MP for Mid Bedfordshire, at 10:54, Fri 19 October 2007:
On Thursday 19th October 2007 I met with the Chief Constable of Bedfordshire Police - Gillian Parker - along with the other Conservative MPs for Bedfordshire, (Alistair Burt MP, North East Beds & Andrew Selous MP, South West Beds) at a meeting in Westminster to discuss the future progress of the force. The Chairman of the Bedfordshire Police Force, Peter Conniff was also at the meeting.
As you will be aware, last week the Home Office and Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary’s published a joint report entitled ‘Police Performance Assessments 2006/2007’, providing a league table of forces in England and Wales, in which Bedfordshire Police Force was officially ranked as the worst in the country.
I am pleased I had this opportunity to meet with the Chief Constable and listen to her proposals to try and turn around Bedfordshire Police Force from its current ranking as the worst in England and Wales. The points system allows for a maximum score of twenty one, but Bedfordshire scored just one point, the only force in the country to perform so badly. Even the five police forces immediately above Bedfordshire in the league table, managed to score seven points; no matter how you look at it, one point out of twenty one, is an embarrassment. I hope that once a force has performed so badly, there is only way to go and that is up.
However, having previously called for her resignation, I am prepared to give the Chief Constable the benefit of the doubt and will be meeting with her on a regular basis to be updated as to progress on improving the force. I intend to meet with her twice before the end of the year and will keep a close eye on progress. We owe it to local residents in Bedfordshire, as well as those who work in the force, to improve the service provided. I want those who work for Bedfordshire Police, to say they are proud to do so.
It is somewhat ironic, that one of the strengths of a smaller police force such as Bedfordshire, is that it is meant to be closer to the communities it serves, yet the force was ranked poorly in providing neighbourhood policing. Issues such as this need to be turned around within the next twelve months, if Bedfordshire is to improve its rankings.
If you have any thoughts or views on this, or any other issues then please get in contact with me in the usual way.
Write to me at: Nadine Dorries MP House of Commons London SW1A 0AA
Telephone me on: 020 7219 4239
Fax me on: 020 7219 6428
Email me at: dorriesn@parliament.uk
Visit my website at: www.dorries.org.uk
Nadine
Nadine Dorries MP Member of Parliament for Mid-Bedfordshire.
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