(14 years, 2 months ago)
Commons ChamberYes, entirely, and I would like community support officers to have the chance to become specials.
To sum up, our crime policy must move away from that of the previous Government, which was about bureaucracy and the big state.
I might be wrong, but the hon. Gentleman seems to be suggesting that police offers go from being paid to being unpaid. Is that the case?
I am saying completely the opposite. I am saying that for the special constables we should create a model similar to that of the Territorial Army. We should have a special constable force and its officers would be paid for the hours that they do, in the same way as TA people are paid.
In summary, I think that we want to move away from the big state and bureaucratic policies on crime to an approach based on accountability and community. That is why I oppose the Opposition’s motion.