Worries over appointment of police and crime commissioners

Jan 22 2012 by Michael Kelly, Sunday Sun

A profound change in the democratic process and the way we choose who runs our communities is set to take place soon, yet there are fears many people are unaware what is happening. Mike Kelly reports

BY the end of this year Olga the Fox could be in charge of police in a North force area – which would be bad news for chickens, not to mention hunt members. But, most seriously of all, bad news for the people of Cumbria.

In November, elections will be held there to appoint for the first time a police and crime commissioner, like they will in all other force areas in England and Wales including Northumbria, Durham, Cleveland and North Yorkshire.

The winner will take over the role currently the responsibility of police authorities, including finance, force strategy and the hiring of the Chief Constable. It is sure to attract a lot of candidates, particularly with a salary of up to £100,000 a year on offer. And, some fear, it is sure to attract a range of characters perhaps unsuitable for the job.

Olga is the mascot of Carlisle United, and Cumbria County Councillor Tim Knowles – discussing the Government’s decision to replace police authorities with elected police and crime commissioners – said: “The risk is we end up with a third-rate TV personality or a football club mascot, as happened with the mayor in Hartlepool. I am deeply concerned.” He’s not the only one. The North of course has form for electing football mascots to public office. Who can forget Hartlepool United’s H’Angus the Monkey – actually Stuart Drummond – being elected mayor there in 2002 on a campaign of free bananas for schools. Although Mr Drummond failed to deliver on the bananas he has obviously impressed the electorate as he has been re-elected twice.

Labour peer Brian Mackenzie, former Durham police chief and adviser to Tony Blair on police matters, has been strongly opposed to the new role. “I am upset at the police being dragged into politics,” he said.

Lord Mackenzie spent time in the US at the FBI Academy at Quantico, Virginia, and witnessed first hand the principle of elected police officials, namely county sheriffs. “The incidents of police corruption tends to occur because of the politicisation of the role,” he said. “The people are going to be elected on political tickets but the danger is if you get extremists who stand and what their agenda might be.”