Theresa May warns over ‘undue political influence’ with plans for British FBI

Tory former prime minister and home secretary Theresa May has warned over a proposed “British FBI” being subject to “undue political influence” by government.

Seeking assurances in Parliament, the Conservative peer recalled the police raid, without a warrant, on the parliamentary office of her party colleague and then MP for Ashford Damian Green back in 2008.

Baroness May of Maidenhead raised a series of concerns over plans for a radical overhaul of policing, which she argued could see police actions “distorted” by targets, “national diktats completely overriding local requirements” and the Home Office increase its control over the service.

The reforms include slashing the number of forces from 43 currently and creating a new National Police Service (NPS) to tackle terrorism and organised crime.

Proposals already announced include a new “licence to practise” for police officers, and powers for the Home Secretary to sack underperforming chief constables and intervene in failing forces.

Setting out the plans recently, Shabana Mahmood argued the existing structures were “outdated” and described policing as the “last great unreformed public service”.

But sounding a note of caution, Lady May said: “The bedrock of British policing is the office of constable. That is an office under the Crown.

“The Government are now going to introduce the licence to practise, given by the Government.

“At the same time, it appears that the Government are going to reintroduce targets for policing. The experience under the Blair Government was that policing targets distorted police behaviour and meant that, all too often, local policing priorities were ignored.

“The Government are also going to introduce a huge national bureaucracy in the national police service, and we read of a ‘hands-on Home Office’ and greater powers for the Home Secretary.”

She added: “Given this combination, how will the Government ensure that we will not see national diktats completely overriding local policing requirements and, particularly, that we are not going to see the police subjected to undue influence from the Home Office and the Home Secretary?

“I remember November 2008, when the parliamentary office of the then Member of Parliament for Ashford was searched by the police without a warrant, reportedly because of influence from Government ministers.

“How are the Government going to ensure, in this centralised police service and centralised model, that there is not going to be undue political influence that relates not to the policing interests of the citizens but to the political interests of the Government?”

Responding, Home Office minister Lord Hanson of Flint said: “The Government is absolutely cognisant of the fact that the police service must be independent of government, have its own responsibilities, and make its own decisions around issues of arrest, suggestions about charges by the CPS and how to manage resources at a local level.”

But prioritising steps to tackle anti-social behaviour and shop theft was important for public confidence, argued the minister.

He added: “It does not mean that we are interfering in policing. It means we are setting a number of potential targets which we think are important national and strategic issues.”

Lord Hanson said the licence to practise for officers would ensure service standards were met.