The general public, police and businesses are being invited to have their say in how their local police force is run, Home Office Minister, Hazel Blears, announced last week.

A short questionnaire, available online (www.policereform.gov.uk/consultation), has been produced by the Home Office to ensure that everybody is able to contribute to the debate. It includes questions such as:

" How would you like to be informed about policing in your area?
" Do you think a national non-emergency number is a good idea?
" Do you think a set of local standards could improve the service police provide your community?

Responses are required by 5th April 2004 and can be easily and quickly sent to the Home Office either online or by calling 0870 241 4680 (ref PBST-QU) for hard copies and using the freepost answer sheet at the back of the questionnaire.

Ms Blears said: "By responding to this questionnaire, you can help shape the future of your police across the entire country."

"We want to create a police service which is even more responsive to local needs. We want to clarify the current confusing police accountability arrangements, ensure the service is able to deal with higher level crime which goes across force boundaries, and create a modernised service which has the best possible people within the ranks to deliver the best performance."

"This consultation is a genuine call to everyone who has an interest in community safety to have their say. We have set out the broad direction of reform but there is no blueprint in Whitehall for how we achieve this. We want to open up the debate to the public, the police, businesses and all other organisations involved in community safety."

The questionnaire follows a major consultation exercise on police reform which was launched on 4th November with the publication of 'Policing: Building Safer Communities Together'.

Home Office Police Reform Web page

March 6, 2004