Photograph: Gareth Fuller/PA
The home secretary faces fresh criticism over plans described by chief constables and police and crime commissioners (PCCs) as a “power grab”.
It comes as the Guardian publishes private documents at the centre of an extraordinary row between Priti Patel and police leaders.
The backlash came after an attempt by the government to redraft a written protocol that tries to define where the responsibility lies in policing.
The row at the top of the criminal justice system in England and Wales centres on the Home Office’s attempt to revise the policing protocol, which was first produced in 2011 and came into force in January 2012.
The Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesperson, Alistair Carmichael, accused the home secretary of trying to micromanage policing around England and Wales from her office in Whitehall.
“Priti Patel might think she knows better than the police when it comes to fighting crime, but her abysmal record at the Home Office says different. The fact that so many criminals are getting away with it shows the Conservatives don’t have a clue about the problems our communities face.
“This is yet another example of Conservative ministers trying hard to seem tough on crime, but failing even to get the basics right.”
The MP added that the home secretary should focus on giving local police chiefs “the officers, detectives and resources they need to prevent and solve crimes”, rather than trying to micromanage them from her office in Whitehall.
Until now, the row over the attempts to change the policing protocol has been in private.
The first document published on Monday is the full proposed new policing protocol from the Home Office. It was sent to chief constables, commissioners and other stakeholders in the justice system for consultation in March. That closed in May and the responses will now be considered by the Home Office.
The dilemma for the government is, given the extensive criticism of their planned changes, whether they should press on or back down.
The second document is from the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners and is their response to the planned changes. In parts, it is heavily critical.
The government denies the proposals amount to a power grab without seeking approval from parliament. Government stepped out of day-to-day involvement in local policing when PCCs were introduced a decade ago.
