PCC Election Day

Today voters in England and Wales (excluding London) will vote for the candidate who they want to run their local police force. The Police and Crime Commissioner will have an incredible amount of power including the power to hire and fire Chief Constables. The aim of a PCC is to give the community a greater say in how the police service is run. However the campaign has been poorly advertised by both the Home Office and the candidates themselves.

I am completely opposed to PCC because I believe introducing Police and Crime Commissioners at a time when frontline police officers are being cut is the wrong decision and will certainly lead to slower response times and possibly rising crime. I am also opposed to PCC as it is the direct politicisation of the Great British police service. But we have to get out and vote to ensure we have Police Commissioners that do care and will stand up for the police service and the public. We can’t let extremists be in charge of our police force simply because they have been elected on a 10% turnout. It is deeply concerning that the government have put no safety nets in place to rule the election void if turnout is under X%.

The police service is going through some incredibly challenging times and whilst voters may feel disenfranchised and hope that this election does flop, it is not a risk worth taking. Therefore I ask you to use your democratic vote, read up on the candidates and vote for the candidate most likely to protect your community and your local police force.

You can read about your local candidates here: http://www.choosemypcc.org.uk/

There are also by-elections taking place in the following Parliamentary constituencies to elect a Member of Parliament; Manchester Central, Corby, Cardiff South and Penarth. There is also a Mayoral election in Bristol.