Police chief ‘asked May’ for lawsuit shield
By politics.co.uk staff
The commissioner of the Metropolitan police sent Theresa May a letter in June asking to make it harder for civil cases to be brought against police officers, according to a report.
Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson also requested that the home secretary make further changes to apply charges to Freedom of Information requests, according to the Guardian.
The paper apparently obtained a copy of Sir Paul’s addendum to the letter to Ms May, which outlined the commissioner’s concerns that current laws were costing the police money and preventing them from performing their duties.
The news was greeted with consternation by civil liberties groups, who claimed the commissioner’s requests were tantamount to trying to place the police above the law.
James Welch, legal director of Liberty, said: “The ability to challenge police misconduct in court is a vital constitutional safeguard against abuse of power.
“A service bound to uphold the rule of law should not attempt to carve out an exception for itself.”
The home secretary is currently considering proposals for a radical shake-up of police forces.
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