Your readers may have noticed that recently the House of Lords threw out the government's bill, aimed at replacing police authorities with directly-elected commissioners.

Nevertheless, the signs are that the Conservative-led government still proposes to press on with this legislation, which I think, will be to the detriment of the police service in Dorset.

Police authorities are charged with the direction and oversight of local police forces.

They are recruited from councillors, appointed in proportion to party representation, together with a few local magistrates, though these latter do not vote on the police precept. Meetings are open to the public and press.

As such, the Dorset Police Authority is representative of all shades of opinion in the differing areas of the county.

It is useful to enquire just how the authority might be replaced.

On what basis is the public to decide between various candidates for the post of Commissioner?

If the successful candidate is an ex-police officer, he might be an old pal of the Chief Constable, or perhaps an ex-rival bent on settling old scores.

Furthermore, it is surely a bad thing for the police to judge themselves.

There are endless possibilities for collusion.

If, on the other hand, a local politician should be elected to act without the restraint of others, the police would be effectively politicised, representative of only one strand of opinion, and perhaps of only one part of the county, such as Bournemouth.

Our police service should be unbiased, open and democratic.

It is difficult to see how the election of commissioners would achieve these ends.

On the contrary, most decisions would then be taken in private, between commissioners and chief constables.

The inadequacies of the Met in the recent phone tapping saga, illustrates the need for the continued democratic accountability of the police.

Dr Alan Chedzoy, Member Dorset Police Authority, 1992-2001, Weymouth