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Diary: I am doing it My Way, says Britain's most outspoken crime commissioner Diary: I am doing it My Way, says Britain's most outspoken crime commissioner
(7 months later)
• Now the elected police and crime commissioners are settling in, a pattern is emerging. Some will see the complexities and mature into the great responsibility they have been given. Some may take longer than others. Let's talk about the elected police commissioner for Surrey, Kevin Hurley. They liked his shoot-from-the-lip style in the election, but unease may well set in when locals peruse an interview with their new champion in the Epsom Guardian. Some question how you appointed your deputy on £55,000, said reporter Hardeep Matharu. "There was no fairness in it," is his reply. "No openness or transparency. The role was too important for me to go through a process of interview boards with people I don't know. To put it bluntly, I understand the business. I will not be bamboozled." What's the future for a local force like yours, she asked. "We shouldn't have separate county police forces," he said. "There should be a chief constable for a region, like the south-east of England, with a PCC." What about diversity? All very well in theory, but where to find the people? Indians are academically inclined. They "turn their noses up" at a career in the police. Those of African origin are no keener, for many hail from countries where the police assist dictators. And Sir William Macpherson, author of the landmark report into the death of Stephen Lawrence? A victim of "postcolonial guilt". The new man speaks as he finds. The future seems exciting.• Now the elected police and crime commissioners are settling in, a pattern is emerging. Some will see the complexities and mature into the great responsibility they have been given. Some may take longer than others. Let's talk about the elected police commissioner for Surrey, Kevin Hurley. They liked his shoot-from-the-lip style in the election, but unease may well set in when locals peruse an interview with their new champion in the Epsom Guardian. Some question how you appointed your deputy on £55,000, said reporter Hardeep Matharu. "There was no fairness in it," is his reply. "No openness or transparency. The role was too important for me to go through a process of interview boards with people I don't know. To put it bluntly, I understand the business. I will not be bamboozled." What's the future for a local force like yours, she asked. "We shouldn't have separate county police forces," he said. "There should be a chief constable for a region, like the south-east of England, with a PCC." What about diversity? All very well in theory, but where to find the people? Indians are academically inclined. They "turn their noses up" at a career in the police. Those of African origin are no keener, for many hail from countries where the police assist dictators. And Sir William Macpherson, author of the landmark report into the death of Stephen Lawrence? A victim of "postcolonial guilt". The new man speaks as he finds. The future seems exciting.
• Kevin Hurley is the future, at least in Surrey for the next four years. And when we speak he takes no issue with the interview as printed but says his thoughts in detail are more nuanced. He would like a diverse force, but says we must address why that isn't happening. The appointment of a deputy was, in law, within his gift. As for Sir William – well the institutional racism tag remains a problem for the police; not all of his report "was helpful".• Kevin Hurley is the future, at least in Surrey for the next four years. And when we speak he takes no issue with the interview as printed but says his thoughts in detail are more nuanced. He would like a diverse force, but says we must address why that isn't happening. The appointment of a deputy was, in law, within his gift. As for Sir William – well the institutional racism tag remains a problem for the police; not all of his report "was helpful".
• What else do we know of him? Well, in 2006 as a chief superintendent in the City of London force, he appeared as a guest speaker at the opening of the £23m Scientology centre near St Paul's Cathedral and lauded L Ron Hubbard's people for the support they provided in the aftermath of the 7 July attacks in London. Reflecting now, Hurley says it was the right thing to do; he was liaison officer for faith groups in the area. He might have spoken more cautiously. He'll learn.• What else do we know of him? Well, in 2006 as a chief superintendent in the City of London force, he appeared as a guest speaker at the opening of the £23m Scientology centre near St Paul's Cathedral and lauded L Ron Hubbard's people for the support they provided in the aftermath of the 7 July attacks in London. Reflecting now, Hurley says it was the right thing to do; he was liaison officer for faith groups in the area. He might have spoken more cautiously. He'll learn.
• It's all in the archive, which is a good thing, for the memory can play tricks. Certainly memory loss seems to afflict those who hold the position of secretary of state for culture, media and sport. First Jeremy Hunt told the Leveson inquiry that he did not see or recall the hundreds of texts and emails sent to his "Spad"/special assistant Adam Smith by Murdoch's man Fred Michels during the putative BSkyB takeover in 2011. Now Hunt's successor Maria Miller seems to be suffering memory loss too. Asked at a Royal Television Society event chaired by Sir Peter Bazalgette this week, whether she read the texts and emails routed via her spad, she all but denied she even had a spad, even though he was in the audience. Thrice the question was asked; it was never sufficiently answered. Perhaps she forgot what the question was.• It's all in the archive, which is a good thing, for the memory can play tricks. Certainly memory loss seems to afflict those who hold the position of secretary of state for culture, media and sport. First Jeremy Hunt told the Leveson inquiry that he did not see or recall the hundreds of texts and emails sent to his "Spad"/special assistant Adam Smith by Murdoch's man Fred Michels during the putative BSkyB takeover in 2011. Now Hunt's successor Maria Miller seems to be suffering memory loss too. Asked at a Royal Television Society event chaired by Sir Peter Bazalgette this week, whether she read the texts and emails routed via her spad, she all but denied she even had a spad, even though he was in the audience. Thrice the question was asked; it was never sufficiently answered. Perhaps she forgot what the question was.
• Meanwhile, horsemeat: the scandal grows. Let the touting for business begin. "Wild horsemeat may have caused your type 2 diabetes," warns a press release. But don't worry. "A specialist civil litigation firm are interested in hearing from people in England suffering from type 2 diabetes who think they may have eaten horse-meat bought from one of the major supermarket chains." The EU may be to blame. Don't let those responsible "escape scot-free". Health, crime, politics. This thrill ride has everything.• Meanwhile, horsemeat: the scandal grows. Let the touting for business begin. "Wild horsemeat may have caused your type 2 diabetes," warns a press release. But don't worry. "A specialist civil litigation firm are interested in hearing from people in England suffering from type 2 diabetes who think they may have eaten horse-meat bought from one of the major supermarket chains." The EU may be to blame. Don't let those responsible "escape scot-free". Health, crime, politics. This thrill ride has everything.
• Finally, at a time of tight finances and falling productivity, a word of praise for George Galloway, whose ability to buck both trends can only be described as admirable. According to the Commons register, his columns for Mirror Group have been rattled out in just 20 minutes. Each one earned him £500. In Big Brother he was the cat that got the cream. He still is.• Finally, at a time of tight finances and falling productivity, a word of praise for George Galloway, whose ability to buck both trends can only be described as admirable. According to the Commons register, his columns for Mirror Group have been rattled out in just 20 minutes. Each one earned him £500. In Big Brother he was the cat that got the cream. He still is.
Twitter: @hugh_muirTwitter: @hugh_muir
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