[Closed] Voting for your local Police and crime commissioner

I'm sorry to say I just can't be arsed with this - I'm even more fatalistic about it than parliamentary elections 😐

I just want to know what it's about. I'm imagining it's a nice way for our current government to let us pretend we have a choice in things.

I won't be darkening the door of my polling booth on this unless there's a box I can tick beside "This is one of the shittest ideas so far this year."

I'm about as interested in this as i am about current political parties, i used to keep abreast of what's going on but the older i get the more cynical i become and the more cynical i become the more i've come to understand we do not actually have a functional nor truly democratic political democracy in this country so i have come to the conclusion ****emall, I'm not interested anymore.

I want the one who's mates with Batman.

I'm just wondering why I've got no information to know about till 26th oct. It's very odd.

It's just a bollocks position created so career politicians can get involved and f*** things up properly.

Is this a last minute thing as all of a sudden we have a choice of a coule of people we don't know. All with a couple of weeks when we have zero information currently.

Not sure how long the office elected candidate stays in office for but sounds like b0ll0cks. The list of excluded candidates is pretty comprehensive so what can we expect?

From the small amount of information available it would seem that he only plausible candidate in our area has dropped out because he was independent and can't compete with the campaigning budgets of the major parties. One of the other candidates is standing because he was upset when the police confiscated his collection of 350 guns. 😯 All a waste of time IMHO.

so It looks like I've got a democratic looking vote. but it's just bullshit for something or other that looks good cos I can tick a box that makes no difference? That's what I thought.

Its the politicisation of the British Police service. Allegedly to make the police more accountable to their local community (in that you can vote them out if youre not happy), but I fail to see how one person with a political party affiliation represents a community more than a Police Authority board containing numerous members of the community, often from different political/religious/ethnic groups.

Potentially a huge sea change in policing but with very little information provided to allow informed voting, or even an awareness of the ramifications of the change.

Opinions expressed do not necessarily represent those of my employer...

As a serving officer I am forbidden from expressing a view on this particular subject in the run up to the elections itself.

Yeah right, vote for one who doesn't get in then incredibly find that you're in breach of some convenient piece of catch-all anti-terrorism legislation - hmmmmmm.

I'd like to imagine that a really good spoilt vote mass action could be organised for this but in truth, nobody cares enough even for that

So even the diverse STW audience fails to see why this is a good idea.

It must have been made up on Planet Politics rather than here on earth.

"the job of the PCC will be to oversee the police and ensure they prioritise what matters to you"

Actually, I'd prefer the Police to be able to prioritise their work, not have all the locals interfering.

The Police will have a far better overview of the issues in an area than residents who will generally have a very limited picture.

The PCC sounds like some kind of interfering busy-body position.

It's just a bollocks position created so career politicians can get involved and f things up properly.

Difficult to argue with that. I believe Prescott is standing. So... another avenue, along with all the MEP Euro non-jobs for washed up ex politicians to stay on the [s]gravy train[/s] public payroll

Also... if we were going to be asked to vote on anything, it should have been...

Do you want

a) The police to remain independent, and free from direct political interference?

b) The police to become another political football for career politicians, taking their orders direct from central office in Westminster, and who couldn't actually give a * about your local area, to score cheap points against each other?

I think I know how we'd have all voted on that one 🙄

Do they wear a rusty star shaped badge ?

Do you want

a) The police to remain independent, and free from direct political interference?

Sadly you may find it’s a bit to late for the police to remain independent; as I strongly believe that political compliance by the police whilst their salaries/pensions arrangements were enhanced way above the rest of the public services they lost their independence many years ago.

at least you'll know that none of them are 'crims'...

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

Did I not also hear that Simon Weston (Falklands vet) has also been barred for a similar offence?

Their salaries and pensions were enhanced while Thatcher wanted to use them as a state militia, to batter the living daylights out of the revolting peasants.

I don't see the present shower having any such sensibilities. In fact, it seems they're busy redressing the balance with some Relish. This may change when the country is engulfed in riots again next summer.

Anyway... my candidate for Police Commissioner, after he's sacked tomorrow.....

[img] [/img]

Andrew Mitchell? 😆

Hmmm... the PC elections are being run under AVPR. Didn't we reject such a system by 2:1 in last year's referendum?

[i]I won't be darkening the door of my polling booth on this unless there's a box I can tick beside "This is one of the shittest ideas so far this year." [/i]

This.

There has ben much political waffle and action over the last few years that has made me chuckle, or that I've thought was daft, or that I've thought was misguided. This is one of the very few things that actually makes me truely angry; it's an absolutely ****ing terrible idea. There are many reasons why, some of which have been expressed already, but if I were to start on a rant on the rest I may well explode. I shall simply say that as bad ideas go, this is a ****ing doozy.

I won't be darkening the door of my polling booth on this unless there's a box I can tick beside "This is one of the shittest ideas so far this year

Oh hold on HOLLY BATMAN LETS SORT THIS SHIT OUT
DD crime its all your fault
[img] [/img]

good to know I'm not the only one a bit baffled by it then!

Sadly even if the turnout is very very low, the election will still take place.

Perhaps all elections should be null/void if the turnout is less than 80%.

Voting for your local Police and crime commissioner

I live in a parallel universe? Is this for real? I know its been muted for a while now but its absolutely stark-staring bonkers. Leave Policing to the Police.

I'm only going to vote for one if his name's Gordon and he's got a pretty daughter who likes to wear skin tight cat suits in her spare time.

I find voting to be a good excuse to celebrate the right at the very good pub close to the polling station. I will spoil my ballot paper hoping they will be in the majority.
Then I will have a beer.

Leave Policing to the Police.

Indeed. The trouble is that the kind of narcissistic egomaniac who becomes a career politician thinks there is absolutely [i]nothing[/i] that would not be greatly improved, if only [i]they[/i] were running it

"Their salaries and pensions were enhanced while Thatcher wanted to use them as a state militia, to batter the living daylights out of the revolting peasants"

Anything with "Thatcher", "miners strike" and "Police" really does "bring out the Branston" doesn't it? I always thought that the reason to improve officers pay and pensions in the early 1980's was to attract potential recruits as nobody wanted to join up. That and there was an impending huge retirement of officers looming with no replacements.

Or Thatcher was actually a soothsayer who could clearly see into the future and knew that she would need the Police well paid and recruited to batter the revolting peasants as Binners said. My old man was a miner in the 80's, he wanted to work but as he was walking distance from the pit didn't dare cross the picket line for fear of his house being smashed up.

But back to the OP. I too am confused and lacking any knowledge whatsoever about who the PCC is in my area and what they will do. An interesting aside, I have already been subjected to "customer satisfaction" talks that state that burglaries are treated with excessive resources as it affects a minority of the community whereas anti social behaviour affects more of the community. So with that thought process burglary is treated as a "one off" and not investigated but the bored kids outside the offy will attract massive police resources where there are very little applicable, enforceable and effective laws. Policing should be without fear or favour. I fear the PCC will change this forever and the lack of information is a deliberate act so as to not generate informative debate.

I want the one who's mates with Batman.

This

No wait... This

Also... if we were going to be asked to vote on anything, it should have been...

Do you want

a) The police to remain independent, and free from direct political interference?

b) The police to become another political football for career politicians, taking their orders direct from central office in Westminster, and who couldn't actually give a **** about your local area, to score cheap points against each other?

But becuase of voter apathy b) is exactly what will happen. If we actually cared enough we could get a by voting for an independant. But due to the lack of funding for propper campagning by independants we will never know what they think and so can't vote for them incase its the guy with 300 guns or some nutter from the BNP.

The whole thing is a disgrace.

The Labour PC candidate for West Sussex, who used to be a 'security advisor' for Tony Blair, earlier this year put out a press release saying that he was 'monitoring' the BNP website for news of any local mobilisations. I found that somewhat sinister... a good thing he has an ice cube's chance in hell of getting elected...

http://www.chichester.co.uk/news/police-candidate-monitoring-bnp-1-3524668

I offer you one simple piece of proof of how it can, and should, work

[i]Cleveland

Sultan Alam - Independent
Barry Coppinger - Labour
Stuart Drummond - Independent
Ken Lupton - Conservative
[b]Ray Mallon - Independent[/b]
Joe Michna - Green Party[/i]

Anyone who knows of Ray Mallon's history with the police service will know the emphasis on local policing and local priorities, versus the priorities of ACPO and the government.

I liked it when there was a rumour Jordan would be putting herself forward

the torries were crapping it as they knew shed get the job over the ranty, blazer wearing, hoodie hating, busy bodies they set up this farce to appease

how many millions is this bobbins costing the taxpayer, id much rather see it put back into the police budget

I was thinking of spoiling my ballot paper, which in most elections is something i wouldn't dream of doing, i usually take my right to vote quite seriously and will turn out to vote on anything, this however i can't even be bothered to leave the house for. In a time when the government are making essential public sector workers redundant and slashing funding to frontline policing, schools, NHS services etc. this just seems like an excuse to invent an over paid position for old school chums.

I hope that if we have a truly pathetic turn out i.e. <15% the next government will just scrap the scheme.

This is being debated on Sky news at the moment, Lord Blair (former Met police commisoner) suggesting people don't bother to vote so that the whole thing is scuppered. Some suggestion on the report that turn out nationwide could be as low as 18%.

Tribal voters will vote tribally, everyone else will stay away. Labour areas will get Labour PCCs, Tory areas Tory ones.

As above, career politicos will thus be able to continue to ride the gravy train.

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There as an advert around our way which said something to the effect of-

Vote for the candidate that will focus on the crimes you want tackling.

Erm, all of them,thanks.

Does sound like utter nonsense to me, a lot of politicians muscling in on a job they know little about but have lots of misinformed opinions on, winding up your average policeman and general making things more difficult and target driven than it needs to be.

Every single candidate here is vowing to keep politics out of the role, yet most are running on a political party ticket. Doesn't stop their personal views coming into it of course, 2 or 3 are already touting 'zero tolerance' on drugs. Miserably pointless exercise.

Another insidious step towards privatisation and erosion of accountability?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/9623068/The-secret-US-lobbyists-behind-Police-and-Crime-Commissioner-election.html