Will there be conflict between the Crown Prosecution Service and elected PCC’s

I have been giving much thought to how an elected Police & Crime Commissioner will work with the CPS.  Of course operational matters are with the Chief Constable, but the way the police work and the systems they use will be affected and the way the CPS works with the Police will by logic be affected as well.

I have lawyer friends and police friends, lawyers complain at the low level of educational attainment of some police and the quality of their paper work, Police friends and various Police blogs bear witness to the Police constables poor opinion of the CPS and the lawyers employed.

Any conflict up and till now has either been hidden or fudged, but when you get an elected PCC I think his or her reputation will stand on the performance of the Police and the number of successful prosecutions.  Second best will not suffice, so I think there will be real tensions in the relationship.  Also the fact that the PCC has an elected mandate will strengthen his/her hand to act.

How will a successful PCC cope with these tensions and manage any crisis, well I believe that systems will reduce friction and drive up quality, so breaking down inefficient systems and re-working them to cut failure will play an important part of minimising tension.  But personal relationships based on trust and even handedness will be the back bone of dealing with disputes and problems.

If the PCC is to be successful, then they have to be aware of these problems from the start and plan how to deal with them, this is ultimately good management and something I am aware of and very willing to confront