ELECTING A POLICE AND CRIME COMMISSIONER

Yesterday I received the postal voting papers in respect of the election of a Police and Crime Commissioner for the Northamptonshire police area that takes place on Friday 15th November.

I now have a yellow slip of paper bearing a list of five names and two columns in which I am asked to put in the first column an X for my first choice and, in the second column, an X for my second choice.

I know nothing – repeat NOTHING – about these five candidates. Through my letterbox I received a printed letter from one of them, John Norrie, that tells me nothing about him apart from the fact that he is independent and he lives in my county. So am I, so do I, Mr Norrie.

Four of these candidates are listed as either representing or standing on behalf of or as members of political parties.

I DID NOT KNOW THAT THESE APPOINTMENTS WERE POLITICAL.
WHY SHOULD THEY BE POLITICAL?
WHAT IS POLITICAL ABOUT BEING A POLICE AND CRIME COMMISSIONER?
WHAT IS THE RELEVANCE OF THE POLITICS OF THESE PEOPLE?

These appointments should not be political … in my far from humble opinion.

In a recent post I made the point that putting people in prison as a deterrent doesn’t work if the people you are trying to deter don’t know about the people who have been sent to prison. Similarly, I would argue, that it is pointless and certainly not democratic to hold elections if the public don’t know a thing about the candidates. How do we make a choice?

I don’t even know what these people look like. I might have been able to make a choice on the basis of who is the best looking. I don’t know anything of their education, their profession, their marital status, whether they have children or not, where they live, whether they play cricket, whether they watch Strictly Come Dancing ... or whether they know anything about the Police (that would be especially good) - I have nothing. I don’t have a single piece of information that would assist me in making a choice.

So, for the first time in my life since I achieved the age of 18 years, I am binning my voting papers. So into the green recycling bin they go (and, do you know, I don’t even know where these candidates stand on environmental matters).

You might just as well run it as a raffle.