Rather lost in the brouhaha over Brexit were the recent revelations* which led to a meeting between Wrexham MP Ian Lucas and the police and prisons minister last week. A year ago, a violent convict murdered a highly-regarded local former wine-bar owner, Nicholas Churton. Jordan Davidson had been released on licence, but had committed further offences once free and should have been returned to jail for breaching his release conditions. There had not only been a failure in handling Davidson on the part of the privatised probation services company, but there seems also to have been a breakdown in communication between the police and the company after the first arrest on release.
Questions must also be asked about the effectiveness of the police and crime commissioner (PCC) system. PCCs are not expected to micro-manage police forces, but "to be the voice of the people and hold the police to account. They are responsible for the totality of policing. PCCs aim to cut crime and deliver an effective and efficient police service within their force area" (from the PCCs official website). In the case of North Wales, the PCC is a former senior police officer which must create conflicts of interest.
Redundancies for purely financial reasons in the probation services companies and the government attacks in police funding (the 2019/20 financial settlement arrests the decline, but because it merely keeps pace with inflation, does not make up for previous cuts) have not helped.
Policing is not a devolved matter, so there is a clear danger of a similar fatal incident in England unless the failings of what must now be seen as a disastrous experiment are acknowledged by the Conservative government and addressed. Readers across the border are warned.
* Thanks to Good Morning, Wales, which is my regular early morning listening rather than Today, for broadcasting an interview with Ian Lucas early last week - though the interviewer spoiled things at the end by quizzing Mr Lucas about Mrs May's future.
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