[Closed] Police Commissioner Election

Totally pointless imo. I am reasonably 'politically aware' and I have absolutely no idea about any of the candidates, so I suspect most people will care even less.

John Prescott is standing...

We need a campaign for everyone to turn out and spoil their papers.

Seems a pointless waste of money just to get the police run directly by failed politicians

[quote=MoreCashThanDash ]
Seems a pointless waste of money just to get the police run directly by failed politicians
Thankfully, it's not happening in Scotland. We spend the money on things like free prescriptions for all instead.

I am going to help my fellow citizens set the record for lowest turnout at a vote.
Seems as good a statement as any to make.

I always, always vote, but won't be turning out to let a politician have a say in running the police, it's ****ed as it is, without more meddling

Couldn't agree more - lets keep politics out of the Police The cost is worrying but the thought that priorities will be set on the basis of short term electioneering is terrifying. I want the Police to be held to account on results and service not by someone looking for a 100k gravy train with absolutely no difference being made to the baddies

Scrap the scheme and let's look at a national FBI like set up to deal with the serious organised nasty people

MC*

*not a cop or vigilante

Total and utter waste of time

Agreed. I don't even know who's standing, and as above I tend to care about that kind of stuff

Don't the tories want fewer MPs? So why make a whole other set of politicians?

If a local voice is so crucial why not give the duties to local councils?

lets keep politics out of the Police

That's as likely as keeping the Masons out.

Pointless comment^^^^^

What concerns me is who these people are who are standing for election? Who are they and who chose them? Some posts are six figure salaries. More jobs for the boys from a corrupt political system.

I vote for Chuck Norris.

[i]I am going to help my fellow citizens set the record for lowest turnout at a vote.
Seems as good a statement as any to make.[/i]

This plus the policy of forcing candidates to pay all their expenses (normally they get free mailshots) means that only the large parties can field candidates.

It's a farce of an election for a post that doesn't need to exist.

Just part of the Tory policy of removing as much power over local government from local councillors as possible. I know who my local councillor is, I see her in the are fairly shortly. I've never even heard of any of the candidates in my area for police commissioner.

at least you'll know that none of them standing are Crim's... 🙄

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/aug/10/police-commissioner-candidate-withdraw-conviction

Think I'm going to spoil my vote - nothing like a worthless gesture to make you feel better

For the first time in my adult life I am not going to bother to vote. We haven't seen anything from the candidates, so obviously we are just supposed to trot down to the polling station and vote in the usual tribal manner.

Complete waste of time and money.

I find the billboard ads a ridiculous scaremongering nonsense. They seem to be saying that if we don't vote the police will give up trying to fight crime altogether

Got a couple of official voting reminder thingies that are now in the recycling. I honestly have no idea who is standing in our area. Seems like a massive non-event that, as others have said, will just result in a couple more snouts in the trough.

i agree with you lot.

it'll make no difference at all to anything other than the sales of Range Rovers.

Pointless comment^^^^^

Ooh, hark at the funny handshake geezer.

No. Just rather tired of irrelevant anti-police comments.

Sweet baby Jesus and the orphans!!! I've just had a look at our candidates.

A motley collection of failed politicians, who got slung out by the voters last time around, looking to climb back aboard the gravy train? All of whom list their priorities as 'tackling crime', though fail to expand on this. Brilliant! 🙄

Got a couple of official voting reminder thingies that are now in the recycling. I honestly have no idea who is standing in our area. Seems like a massive non-event that, as others have said, will just result in a couple more snouts in the trough.

+1, really don't see any point other than taking more money from front line policing and giving it to bureaucrats.

Just rather tired of irrelevant anti-police comments

Evidently. It colours your view considerably.

Are you saying Police heads are not influenced by or consider political matters; or that there is no Masonic presence in the rozzers?

I find the billboard ads a ridiculous scaremongering nonsense. They seem to be saying that if we don't vote the police will give up trying to fight crime altogether

I agree - especially given the money spent on these new managers will just mean less money for actual crime fighting....

I take it all back.

😯

I hope they got paid *a lot* of money for that humiliating experience...

I hope they got paid *a lot* of money for that humiliating experience...

I'm sure however much they got it was an excellent use of public money (on top of the video/music production costs). 😕

A motley collection of failed politicians, who got slung out by the voters last time around, looking to climb back aboard the gravy train?

Are you in Lancashire binders? Just had a look and the main qualification does seem to be 'I failed to get in at the last election'.

Seen the list of candidates in South Yorkshire, not changed my first thought to spoil my ballot.
Deputy Dawg is my "write in" candidate.

Aye i looked at the lancashire ones and it is startlingly uninspiring hence why I feel little inclanation to vote

Possibly the usual anti tory vote or an abstention but it is a pointless waste of time and money

Does anyone know WTF they claim it will do or why that there village of london is exempt?

Does anyone know WTF they claim it will do or why that there village of london is exempt?

Are they: http://www.theweek.co.uk/politics/49676/dont-bother-vote-police-commissioners-says-ian-blair

I come under Merseyside and follownig binners' lead I've done some checking. Each candidate has a profile page where they can say a bit about their campaign. so...

Tory - No introductory profile

UKIP - No introductory profile

LibDem - “A University Lecturer with a background in charities helping disadvantaged and deprived communities. I was a journalist and PR specialist. I want to see more people's voices heard.”

Labour - “I am an experienced and successful former minister. I want to use the role of PCC to pull together the whole criminal justice chain to ensure it works effectively for victims."

Independent - “With over 20 years’ experience campaigning on and working on police accountability I’ve become an expert with an international reputation. Control of the police should not be party political. When I served on the Police Authority it had balanced representation of a range of views. Now that just one person will do the job – it shouldn’t be a party figure. People before Party.”

English Democrats - No introductory statement

So of the 6 candidates only 3 can be bothered to put up some info. Of those we have an ex-PR person and an ex-minister. Awesome.

The third "People before Party" independent is a law lecturer and Lib Dem activist until he recently resigned from them in order to run an independent campaign. In his resignation letter he states "But personally I cannot trust Nick Clegg or recommend any member of the public to vote for him." Not all bad then.

Just having a dig around to try and find a[i]nything[/i] of substance about any of the candidates. Policies? Beliefs? Not a sausage!

[url= http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/9623068/The-secret-US-lobbyists-behind-Police-and-Crime-Commissioner-election.html ]This[/url] is quite interesting though. So... lets privatise the police and... you're going to love this bit... we can dress it up as democracy in action

I won't be voting as the election is using Alternative Vote PR, you know, the system that was rejected 2:1 in last years' referrendum.

ScottChegg the thread is about Local Police Commissioners. The point was made that voting in elected officials is politicisation of policing. You decide to chirp in with an irrelevant comment about Masons, insinuating some sort of impropriety. You take every opportunity to broadcast your anti-police views. Get over it. It's boring and juvenile.

Has anyone else had a look at their candidates? I can vote for a Labour, a Tory or a Lib Dem. No independents. All of whom failed to get elected as an MP. Their statements either say nothing at all, or just parrot Westminster rhetoric.

It couldn't possibly be less inspiring. Pathetic!

i have a labour family law solicitor, a tory barrister, a lib dem former council leader and a former police super intendant standing as an independent. The badger party have pulled out.

I have no idea what any of them stands for, oh sorry they stand for whatever there party leader tells them to stand for!!!

So what is the point, other than paying someone 65k per year?

Up to £100k apparently. Plus whatever they claim on expenses, which if they're anything like MP's - and lets face it, they've all tried and failed previously to be elected as one - should easily double that

How low a turnout can you get before you cannot call it democratic ?

So I take it everyone from across the political spectrum is in agreement that this is a stupid waste of money?

Seems like it. With the added dimension that we can eagerly await our countries police force now being used as a political football, for pathetic political point scoring

Does anyone in the country, outside Westminster, believe that that is actually going to have a positive effect on policing?

I have a horrible feeling that this is one of those policies that has 'disaster' not far up the road, written all over it

From a very long list Grum. A very very long list! 🙁

I think that anyone who votes for a party political appointee, of any party, for police commissioner, is an idiot.

that does not however undermine having a check and balance on the police of a directly elected representative with power.

if we looked at two examples:

i) Taser - who on the force is issued it
ii) PCSO powers

At the moment, both these are local policies decided by the chief constable - if the chief constable decides that he's going to arm all response officers with Taser, then he can (and in some areas thats what is happening, in other areas its restricted to, for example, firearms teams)