Picking a Fight with the Bobbies

The Tories may be preparing to go into a public relations war with Britain's senior-most police chiefs after Conservative accusations that many of the chiefs are in the Labour government's pocket.

The Times reports that the Tories may be preparing to go into a public relations war with British police chiefs over Conservative accusations that many of the chiefs are in the Labour government's pocket. Specifically, the Times reports having seen a Tory memo attacking the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), which represents the 350 senior-most officers in England and Wales.

The document allegedly accuses the ACPO leaders of providing “political cover to the Labour Government repeatedly and consistently” and engaging in “gratuitous photocalls” Labour leaders like Prime Minister Gordon Brown. The Times also notes that the ACPO which receives some £18 million a year from the Labour-controlled Home Office “publicly and privately lobbied against a number of key Conservative issues, going far beyond its role.” It apparently ends with a thundering critique of the agency's alleged “independence,” arguing that recently, a look at the ACPO record “shows almost no criticism of the current Government”.

This comes as David Cameron and company are kicking around the idea of fundamentally reworking the British police system. The Times quotes one police officer as saying that they would “be amazed if ACPO survived the election of a Conservative government.”

Circulating the memo comes at a time when the Tories have watched their lead over Labour on crime and punishment issues slide from 21 points to a meager nine. Nonetheless, getting into a dogfight with the face of law and order, even when incompetent, is always a dangerous move. Few things play worse on television than men in uniform talking about how they give their lives to protect the public before nonchalantly mentioning that particular leaders are not supporting them. The Tories may well be better served putting this memo in a drawer somewhere until Mr. Cameron and Co. actually secure the House of Commons.