Local Elections for Police Commissioner: why party political

[johnfm]

Popped in to vote.

Was surprised to find that each candidate for police commissioner was from a political party.

WTF? I get why councillors run under a party banner, but why the hell should I be voting for a police commissioner on the basis of his political party affiliation?

[whoami]

Good point.

The only non-party candidate in my area was an ex-copper.

[Thorodin]

Because his/her allegiance is to the current Home Office?

[ralphrj]

They were supposed to be independent not political. Then Ed Miliband decided that Labour would have official candidates which forced the Tories and Lib Dems to do the same.

[Funk]

I deliberately spoiled my PC vote with 'NONE'. They're a waste of money and simply not voting suggests apathy rather than disagreement with the whole thing.

[98elise]

I don't think it should be a political position at all. Total and utter waste of money.

[Puggit]

ralphrj said:

They were supposed to be independent not political. Then Ed Miliband decided that Labour would have official candidates which forced the Tories and Lib Dems to do the same.

Because Labour are control freaks

[Esseesse]

Puggit said:

ralphrj said:

They were supposed to be independent not political. Then Ed Miliband decided that Labour would have official candidates which forced the Tories and Lib Dems to do the same.

Because Labour are control freaks

And they don't understand and/or appreciate limited government.

[saaby93]

In these neck of the woods last time around it was the independent that won.
Agree about policing should be somewhat independent of party politics, otherwise the police might as well be run by that party

[Doofus]

I wondered the exact same thing.

I believe that, living in a democracy, I have a duty to vote. I believe we all do. However, I refuse to vote for the Commissioner thing because I think it is pointless, irrelevant, unproven and wasteful. If anybody can convince me otherwise, I would be happy to be corrected.

[wiggy001]

Doofus said:

I wondered the exact same thing.

I believe that, living in a democracy, I have a duty to vote. I believe we all do. However, I refuse to vote for the Commissioner thing because I think it is pointless, irrelevant, unproven and wasteful. If anybody can convince me otherwise, I would be happy to be corrected.

My thoughts exactly.

[Derek Smith]

johnfm said:

Popped in to vote.

Was surprised to find that each candidate for police commissioner was from a political party.

WTF? I get why councillors run under a party banner, but why the hell should I be voting for a police commissioner on the basis of his political party affiliation?

I went to a talk by our local PCC, soon to be reelcted as it turns out. I put a question to her about politicisation of the police and she talked quite happily about why there should be a politician in control. It was the only damn question she answered fully. She stated, without being questioned on the matter, that she had had no interest nor knowledge of the police before she sought election. She also relished the control she had, including the persuasive nature of her authority.

Terrifying.

[Dogwatch]

I'd have voted for an even half-decent independent but wasn't offered the option (W.Sussex). Each candidate had a political tag and the incumbent (Con) hasn't exactly been a ball of fire or, apparently, troubled the Chief Constable unduly.

[anonymous-user]

This was a bit of a revelation to me earlier this year too.

The Commissioner for Nottingham tells us all about himself here: http://www.nottinghamshire.pcc.police.uk/About-Us/...

I was left none the wiser as to why he'd want the job, let alone be qualified to do it.

[greygoose]

Funk said:

I deliberately spoiled my PC vote with 'NONE'. They're a waste of money and simply not voting suggests apathy rather than disagreement with the whole thing.

Pointless posts which should be abolished and the money spent on actual police officers.

[Derek Smith]

Dogwatch said:

I'd have voted for an even half-decent independent but wasn't offered the option (W.Sussex). Each candidate had a political tag and the incumbent (Con) hasn't exactly been a ball of fire or, apparently, troubled the Chief Constable unduly.

Is that the role of a PCC, troubling the CC unduly?

[Truffles]

Funk said:

I deliberately spoiled my PC vote with 'NONE'. They're a waste of money and simply not voting suggests apathy rather than disagreement with the whole thing.

I would have done the same, but I understand that even a spoiled ballot paper counts as a vote when they are calculating total turnout. I don't even want to legitimize this farce by allowing them to say that there is a higher turnout than before.

[Mark Benson]

The only reason I made the effort to vote was that this time there was an independent ex-copper on the ballot.

The previous incumbent was a former Conservative councillor whose only contribution seems to have been to increase the number of speed camera vans from one to six (via a very heavily biased questionnaire 'Do you think a) Speed cameras are great, we should have more, b) Speed cameras are great, we should have lots more or c) Speed cameras are great, lets fill the county with them').

So I wanted her out, and I hope that enough people thought like me and voted in the independent, but since a pig with a blue rosette would get elected here, I have my doubts.

[Doofus]

Truffles said:

I would have done the same, but I understand that even a spoiled ballot paper counts as a vote when they are calculating total turnout. I don't even want to legitimize this farce by allowing them to say that there is a higher turnout than before.

In my polling station, when you registered, they asked if you wanted both papaers, local elections and PCC. I just said "Only ythe yellow one please".

[Doofus]

Incidentally; if voting is supposed to be anonymous, how come it isn't?

When you register, one person ticks your name off a list, and gives a number to the other person, who writes that on another list, next to the serial number of the voting slip you've been given. It is therefore dead easy to trace how a voter voted, or to whom a voting slip belongs.

I asked them this at the station, and said "So you can check to see how people voted then?" to which they said "Yes, but we don't."

Oh. Good. Well I feel much more anonymous now