DESPITE the drop in crime figures revealed by the Home Office yesterday, it is nonetheless true that crime and the fear of crime remains a major cause of concern among the public.

And one of the most persistent criticisms of the modern-day police force is the amount of time officers have to spend form-filling and carrying out other administrative tasks. Now the Government has come up with its latest scheme to tackle these issues – by harnessing “people power” to fight crime by directly electing police chiefs.

It could mean Liverpool having its own such police chief within two years, while Crime and Policing Representatives (CPRs) would also be elected in Knowsley, Sefton, St Helens and Wirral, to ensure Merseyside’s chief constable acts on local crime problems.

One element which is sure to be wel- comed – provided, that is, it is adhered to – is the commitment police would have to give to respond to calls for help within set time limits, in the same way as the ambulance service do now. Officers would have to respond to emergencies within 15 minutes, to “priority cases” within one hour, to telephone calls and e-mails within one day and attend non-emergency calls within two days.

Also particularly welcome are the pledges to sweep away much-criticised police red tape and targets, with the time-consuming “stop and account” form being scrapped, with beat officers recording information by radio instead.

But the proposals have not been uni- versally welcomed, with the Association of Police Authorities (APA) warning there was a “very real danger” of the BNP and other extremists hijacking the elections to seize control of local policing. This seems like a very carping criticism, however, as the votes gained by such extremists in local elections have been negligible.

If these proposals succeed in freeing up more officers to go back on the beat – another element which has all but disappeared in the modern police force – then they should be worthy of everyone’s support.