Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: Home Office

Oral Answers to Questions

Julian Smith Excerpts
Monday 11th February 2013

(11 years, 10 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Julian Smith Portrait Julian Smith (Skipton and Ripon) (Con)
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8. What assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the College of Policing since its establishment.

Damian Green Portrait The Minister for Policing and Criminal Justice (Damian Green)
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The Government have established the College of Policing to protect the public and support the fight against crime by ensuring professionalism in policing. The college is a core element of the police reform agenda. It began providing services on 1 December 2012 and has already begun training the next generation of police leaders.

Julian Smith Portrait Julian Smith
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With the new college now in place, surely the Association of Chief Police Officers is now well past its sell-by date. It seems to spend more time protecting its members than helping the Government with their reform programme. Should taxpayers still be funding this organisation?

Damian Green Portrait Damian Green
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Most of the ACPO business area work has been integrated into the College of Policing. I pay tribute to ACPO’s work in ensuring a smooth transition towards the establishment of the college, which is very important. ACPO is a private limited company; it is not owned or controlled by the Home Office. It is therefore for ACPO itself to determine its future as a company. Home Office grant-in-aid funding to ACPO headquarters ceased at the end of 2012 when the College of Policing was established.