By John O'Leary
Where do you draw the line in the fight against crime between civil liberties and more effective policing? It is a balance that successive Home Secretaries have struggled to get right. In this edition of Policy Review magazine, past and prospective holders of that post address some of the key issues.
Chris Grayling, the Shadow Home Secretary, outlines the Tories’ plans to roll back what he describes as the “surveillance state”. In the week that the Government has announced new limits to the DNA database, he pledges to go much further – reducing the amount of data held by both central and local government. He argues that the increased surveillance under Labour amounts to the worst of all worlds: “intrusive, expensive and ineffective”.
David Blunkett’s concerns are about accountability, the subject of a report that he hopes will influence the forthcoming policing white paper. In an interview with Policy Review, the former Home Secretary fleshes out proposals for community forums to give local people a voice in the law and order agenda.
Mr Blunkett also expresses regret about the way in which the Serious and Organised Crime Agency has developed since he established it in 2005. He believes that the squad has become too preoccupied with intelligence-gathering and calls for it to get back to conventional policing.
The home affairs theme of the edition also sees Jon Silverman examine the reasons for the rocky start for the policing pledge, which is at the heart of the Government’s attempts to restore public confidence in local forces. And Simon Moore, of the Alcohol Research Network, questions the likely effectiveness of raising the price of alcohol as a means of reducing the damage to (and done by) vulnerable youngsters.
Elsewhere in the third online edition of the magazine, Michael Davis outlines the proposals by the UK Commission on Employment and Skills to put individuals and employers in control of the training agenda. Judith Judd assesses the prospects for reform in primary education in the wake of two heavyweight reports, while our Policy Tracker focuses on Lord Mandelson’s higher education framework and the review of top-up fees.
11 November 2009
John O'Leary. Editor, Policy Review Magazine
Cover Story
Steve Smith fears that universities and the economy will be the losers if the coalition cannot agree on student fees
By John O'Leary
Feature Articles
Stick together to resist the axe
Even in an era of cuts, market forces must not be allowed to dictate students' choice of university
By Aaron Porter
Universities will have to re-examine every aspect of their operations - and the assumptions that underlie them
By Mike Boxall
Other articles
Social Policy
Public engagement with policymakers is a good thing. But don’t let the tools of engagement drive the process
By Pippa Hyam
Education and Skills
Research into the effectiveness of early intervention programmes poses questions for the new Government
By Oli de Botton
Central Government
Government moves to cut jargon are well-meaning but must go further if they are to make a real impact
By Neil Taylor
The Economy
The Calman Commission’s fiscal recommendations will define its long-term success - or otherwise
By David Lee