But the MPs voice serious concerns over the appointment of "crony" deputy and assistant commissioners, the sidestepping of due process in firing some chief constables and the reintroduction of a target culture by PCCs in some forces.
When it was announced in June that the Government intended to overhaul the system by which funding is allocated to police forces in England and Wales, some chief constables braced themselves for a potential shock.
Before September 11 some chief constables were reducing the size of their local special branches, but since then the numbers have risen to their latest total of 4,247, with an increasing role played by civilian staff as intelligence analysts.
The unfamiliarity of certain referents was partly offset by the fact that some Britishisms police constables and Reginald Maudling are two that come to mind struck many Americans as inherently hilarious.
The committee said that it meant some chief constables would be earning more than ten times the wage of the lowest paid for the first time, the committee said, though pointed out that none of those senior officers would be black.
Some chief constables, including Sir John Stevens, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, are conducting a discreet Whitehall lobbying campaign to outflank the security services, MI5 and MI6, who still support the ban.Police say that the main beneficiaries of the ban are the hundred or so top criminals, known to the National Crime Squad as "core nominals".
The Association of Chief Police Officers confirmed to the Guardian last week that they intend to retain their "confiscate and warn" policy for most who are found with a small amount of cannabis, although some chief constables want to see a fine imposed instead.
The home secretary said that some chief constables had warned that policing was "on the edge", that cuts would mean that the police would no longer fulfil essential functions and suggestions they could lead to variations in the level of service.
What's already clear is that some chief constables don't want to be in the game of policing thought.
