Police elections

Have your spotted the buzz about police and crime commissioner elections? Me neither. 

It is probably one of the most understated elections ever held. I'm not going to get into the controversy about this way of managing our police services in England and Wales but I will say this - the elections are being starved of the oxygen of publicity. There is no government funding for a leaflet mail drop making it hard for many independent candidates to get their messages out.

The rules have also been ridiculous and several good candidates have had to step down because of some minor childhood encounter with criminal justice in the 1960s. See the release from Beds Police below about whey the elections are being held. The irony is that the minister quoted, Nick Herbert, recently stood down from the Government in the reshuffle because he felt he had not been given enough backing to make the elections a success. Oh dear oh dear oh dear.




On 15 November 2012, for the first time ever, the public across England and
Wales (excluding London) will be able to head to the polls to elect a police
and crime commissioner who will be accountable for how crime is tackled in
their police force areas.

Nick Herbert, the Minister for Policing and Criminal Justice, says that 'The
arrival of Police and Crime Commissioners will be the most significant
democratic reform of policing in our lifetime.
'Communities will have a stronger voice in how their streets are policed and
will be able to turn to their PCC to hold the police to account on their behalf.'
Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) will aim to cut crime and deliver an
effective and efficient police service within their area.

To provide stronger and more transparent accountability of the police, PCCs
will be elected by the public to hold chief constables and the police force to
account; effectively making the police answerable to the communities they
serve.

PCCs will ensure community needs are met as effectively as possible, and
will improve local relationships through building confidence and restoring
trust. They will also work in partnership across a range of agencies at local
and national level to ensure there is a unified approach to preventing and
reducing crime.

PCCs will not be expected to run their local police, nor will they replace the
Chief Constable who will still be responsible for operational policing. 

The role of the PCC is to be the voice of the people and hold the police to
account.

You can find out more about PCCs at the Home Office or contact
Bedfordshire Police Authority