Let’s see our rulers on CCTV

Stop being control freak, May

NOT being a master criminal, my few brushes with the law have only been for minor infringements.

But when I was a teenager, police tended to create a negative impression by being rude and aggressive.

“Yes, officer, I know rummaging about a field at midnight seems suspicious but this young lady and I aren’t Great Train Robbers burying loot, honest.”

Yet when I was caught doing 100mph on the M1 more recently, the traffic cop who stopped me was so pleasant and polite it was almost a pleasure to be prosecuted.

Cameras

I was even moved to write a note of thanks to his chief constable, so exceptional was his behaviour.

It shouldn’t be exceptional. Police can do their professional duty without being a pain in the butt. That applies especially to dealings with young people who are just beginning to formulate their opinions.

If the plods I encountered as a youngster had been wearing cameras clipped to their uniforms, my formative view of them might have been different.

Last week a Cambridge University study showed complaints against officers fell by 93 per cent when their actions had been recorded. Suspects were also better behaved. This demonstrates what a little transparency can do.

One of those cameras should be attached to Theresa May.

The PM could have the casing designed in leopard print to match her kitten heels, just so long as she keeps it switched on. It might curb her manic control freakery.

There are things ministers want you to know which you have a right to know but which No10 forbids them from telling you. No Whitehall department can put out information without Downing Street approval. And I’m told that is rarely given.

Mrs May obviously needs to keep national security secrets to herself. She can unclip the camera while being briefed on those.

But the stuff I’m talking about is everyday decision making which affects our lives. It would help ministers to know what we think about them.

That’s basic good government, Mrs May.

Which is why at the Tory conference in Birmingham this week her most welcome announcement would be the end of the control freak show.