Police Commissioner Elections

[squirrel_hunter]

Are you excited about it?

Ok, I'll try that again, have you heard about it?

Or alternatively do you even care about it?

So I know very little about this election. Apparently we now need to elect someone to oversee the police. My problem with this is that until the other week I didn't know the current system needed an overhaul, and I'm not sure that electing someone is going to be the best way to do that. Further to that if the answer is to elect someone I'm seriously concerned that they will be affiliated to a political party as going by recent events politics and the police don't always get along. Whats more is I heard a figure of what these elections are going to cost, and lets just say I think that obscene amount of money can be better spent elsewhere.

Its fair to say I don't support this process unless someone can persuade me otherwise.

So what to do? At the moment I am thinking of spoiling my ballot as a form of protest. But then I think if I turn up and vote does that legitimize the process? Should I just stay at home? What is the rest of the org going to do?

[MisterTommyH]

I'm not sure it needed doing and there are some dangers in it - but it's happening so I'm going to vote. If I don't vote I can't complain afterwards - and I might have some things to complain about.

I live in a county where the whole county votes one way, except one city which votes another (roughly equal constituencies).

Being a city there are some problems with alcohol on Friday nights etc...

Trying my hardest to avoid politics.... The city candidate is campaigning on the fact that they will bring rural coppers into the city to deal with this if needed rather than working with the city council to control licensing. This could potentially leave my area without sufficient police cover. We're not high crime, but we're not no crime. Why should we have to lose our police cover?

Moral of the storey..... You may not care, you may think it's a waste money, but look into it because you may be getting something that will seriously affect you. And if you don't vote you have no right to complain.

[Sir Trev]

I don't know who the candidates are in my area - not seen any leaflets, posters or other vote-for-me type stuff. May exist but I've not seen them. At this rate I'll have to do my own homework to find out but I seriously doubt many of the bottom feeders living in the area around my estate will bother to do this (assuming they know there is an election of course).

I dont know who any of the candidates are so I shan't be voting.

I wish I'd known you could stand, the salary is excellent and since nobody knows who the candidates are I'm pretty sure a few hundred flyers would have bagged me the job quite nicely.

[Ch00]

London is not getting an elected commissioner so I havent looked into it as much but the elected commissioner wont have that much say into the running of that police force. For a start there is no money all budgets have been cut so to put more police in one area you have to take from another as stated by MTH.

PCCs will cut crime and deliver and efficient police service


They will aim to cut crime and deliver an effective and efficient police service within the force area. They will do this by:

• holding the chief constable to account for the delivery of the force
• setting and updating a police and crime plan
• setting the force budget and precept
• regularly engaging with the public and communities
• appointing, and where necessary dismissing, the chief constable

It will not be for the PCC to tell the professionals how to do their job - the legislation continues to protect the operational independence of the police by making it clear that the chief constables retain direction and control of the forces officers and staff. The operations of the police will not be politicised; who is arrested and how investigations work will not become political decisions.
Impartiality

PCCs will be required to swear an oath of impartiality when they are elected to office. The swearing of an oath will be an important symbol of impartiality, emphasising both the significance of this new role in local communities and that PCCs are there to serve the people, not a political party or any one section of their electorate.

Taken from http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/police/...c/what-is-pcc/

Also looking at the website they top pay for the PCC is £100,000 which is about 4 new PCs not best value for money.

Waste of money IMHO. Unless one of these nominees comes out and says they're against speed cameras. But that won't happen, how else will they pay for all those doughnuts.

[Biker Biggles]

In an organisation where there are already too many chiefs and too few indians it can be no surprise that we are to be given yet more chiefs.More jobs for the boys(and girls)
I hope hardly anyone goes out and votes,and they all get abolished before the next election.

This worries me massively (I had no idea either). Judiciary, Executive and Legislative should all be completely separate. In this country there is some connection between Executive and Legislative (ministers still sit in parliament, or house of lords), if there are elections for police commisioner then it open up the avenue for political judiciary, and therefore a connection between the Executive and Judiciary. I cannot think of a single public figure, certainly no politician, that I would want to have effective control over all three.

[timwilky]

To be honest I think the role is overdue. Currently we have police committees directing our police forces. Who is elected to this committee is determined by jobs for the boys within whatever local council runs your area. So at least this way, the service users get to decide who is responsible for their local plod. As such it should be free from the political infighting and petty agendas of local politics.

[Bri w]

We got a leaflet thro' the door a couple of weeks back. It was just a red rag to a bull - Bri lost it with the candidate.

"Look at what the Coalition Govt has done to the Police. Vote for the Labour candidate at the upcoming elections blah blah blah." + more political rhetoric.

I had a right go at the Labour candidate for politicising the position and for using the election as a vehicle for party politics. And seeing as I had a head of steam up I then got in touch with our MP and let him have both barrels too.

I wasn't going to vote, in protest, but now I'll be voting for whoever isn't the Labour candidate.