CAN it really be almost 12 years since the States agreed to set up a Police Authority? Those who have been waiting for developments on this front will confirm that this is the case. They are also likely to be wondering why it is taking such an inordinately long time for this much-to-be-desired supervisory body to be set up.

Among those most exercised by the delay and by the failure to transform policy into action is Senator Alan Breckon. Accordingly, he has lodged a proposition which, if it finds favour in the House, will oblige Home Affairs Minister Ian Le Marquand to present detailed plans for a police authority no later than December.

It must be emphasised that the blame for the delay over the authority cannot be placed on Senator Le Marquand. He is merely heir to problems not solved – or perhaps ignored – by his predecessors.

Meanwhile, it is worth examining why a Jersey Police Authority is necessary and why, therefore, Senator Breckon’s proposition merits support. As the Senator himself has so tellingly pointed out, independent scrutiny of the police by a properly constituted body of able and astute individuals might well have prevented the fiasco of the Haut de la Garenne investigation. This, as we now know to our cost, involved huge expenditure and did immense and unwarranted damage to the Island’s reputation nationally and internationally.

Some might argue that ministerial supervision, coupled with official inspections, ought to be sufficient to ensure that the force is operating efficiently and appropriately. Unfortunately, a politician with responsibility for the force might find it difficult to step aside sufficiently to achieve the sort of independence required of authority members, and full inspections occur too infrequently to be any useful substitute for constant monitoring.

As Senator Breckon has pointed out, police authority structures have proved their worth in the UK and are widely acknowledged to be an effective mechanism for ensuring accountability.

The police, moreover, have much to gain from the creation of a suitable authority. It is our force’s proud – and justifiable – claim that it polices with the consent of the community it serves. Its stature and the respect in which it his held by right-thinking Islanders will only be enhanced if this additional layer of independent oversight can be introduced.