A key task is to recover the morale of the police workforce. Some commentators have linked poor morale to the Macpherson inquiry into the death of Stephen Lawrence. The linkage is questionable. A better argument can be made about the link between managerial style and police morale. The gulf between officers on the ground and their managers is palpable.
Chiefs talk the language of crime control through performance management.
Many proposals are welcome, especially the existing reforms of the youth justice system and the plans for a more efficient crown prosecution service. Criminologists have long argued that certainty and speed of punishment have a higher deterrent impact than draconian penalties. We now punish a smaller proportion of offenders than we did 20 years ago - but punish them more heavily. It is time to redress the balance. Over the last four years the courts have been given many new powers for dealing with offenders.