Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Bill
Debate between Lord Marlesford and Lord Blair of Boughton
Monday 20th January 2014
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(10 years, 10 months ago)
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Lord Marlesford (Con)
The noble Lord made an important point about it never having been the practice that somebody could be commissioner or hold a similar post without having been a police constable. Presumably when Lord Trenchard, formerly Marshal of the Royal Air Force, was appointed Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, he had not had previous police experience.
Lord Blair of Boughton
The noble Lord makes a good point. It was only in the 1970s that the first commissioner who had been a police officer was appointed. Perhaps I should have said that in the past 45 years there has not been one. I certainly accept that the great and the good took those positions in earlier periods.