Police resign threat over Tory plan

Chief constables could resign if a Tory government presses ahead with plans to put police forces under the control of directly-elected local commissioners

Sir Hugh Orde, the President of the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo), warned that chief constables would resist any moves to introduce "political influence" into the police service.

In an interview with the BBC Radio 4 Today programme, he said it was "absolutely critical" that they were operationally independent in terms of how they delivered policing in their areas.

The Conservatives are committed to directly-elected commissioners with wide powers to hire and fire chief constables and to set budgets and policing priorities in England and Wales.

Sir Hugh, the former Northern Ireland chief constable who took over as Acpo president earlier this year, insisted that there should be no perception of political influence in policing.

"Operation independence is absolutely critical," he said.

"Even the perception that the police service of this country - a British style of policing which is so important - is under any political influence, I think that suggests you cannot argue that you are a proper democratic society. It's as simple and as stark as that. We should not be influenced by anyone who has any potential or suggestion for a political basis."

Sir Hugh suggested that some chief officers would resign rather than accept the Conservative plans.

Sir Hugh's intervention comes in the wake of the resignation of the Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair after he came under pressure from London Mayor Boris Johnson to quit.

While he insisted that chief constables fully understood the need to be held accountable, he warned that direct local political control would distort policing priorities.