Time To Stop This Farce?

[ToraToraTora]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-28898347
10% turnout, obviously no one gives a rats ar5se!

[anotheoldgit]

This farce cost £3.7m, that's not taking into account this guy's salary, expenses and pension.

[agchristie]

A very costly exercise. Is it extreme voter apathy or does the public not largely agree with the role itself?

Are the public satisfied that the role leads to greater police accountability? Im not so sure too many are convinced. That would be one of the key issues to address.

[Old_Geezer]

From my limited experience these things are held having given the public next to no information upon which to make a reasoned judgement so of course few bother. Those that do are probably voting blind based on the cut of the candidate's jib. It's not that folk don;t give a rat's ***, it's that it is a vote too far, unless there is a lot more effort made to distributing information. It's bad enough to know who is worth voting for in local elections (none of them want to do what I wish them to) without police ones too.

[Dodger666]

As a resident in the area concerned, I would say the electorate who didn't bother to vote didn't give a "rats ar5e" because we didn't get any information about any of those standing for election whatsoever. Having said that I doubt that most people were not interested anyway.

[agchristie]

On the issue of accountability, the heat is on with forces having to save millions from their budgets!

[anotheoldgit]

I suggest that not too many know or care what a police and crime commissioner actually does, or why they should vote one in office.

[Gromit]

The commisioners are toothless.

Just a place for political hasbeens to be put out to pasture but still get a good wedge courtesy of the taxpayers. Jobs for the old boys (and girls).

[ChillDoubt]

I'm expecting mikey along any moment to tell us that 10% is the same percentage as the vote UKIP recently got in some Labour heartland somewhere.....

[New Judge]

Yes but that was the total turnout, chilli. And the winner got only half of that.

[agchristie]

Yes NJ, I thought that, really puts further perspective to it.

[tonyav]

I voted, but not for the winner.

[Obiter]

Gromit has hit the nail on the head. In my neck of the woods a female Labour MP who lost her seat at the last general election suddenly popped up as Police Commissioner. I don't know but I suspect the salary for the job is greater than an MP's.

[agchristie]

Tony - did you get much info to help form your choice?

[tonyav]

No not really, agcristie. No leaflets through the letterbox or anything like that.

[agchristie]

Obiter - Vera Baird was Lab MP for Redcar for nine years until 2010. Two years later she became Commisioner for the Northumbria force.

[Obiter]

I knew that but I was not going to name names.

[Obiter]

There are a number of issues here:

1) Why should an ostensibly non-political office be sought on political grounds?

2) The reference to the anal sphincter of the rat is peculiarly apposite as I suspect most people have as much interest in who runs the police as they have in who empties the dustbin.

[agchristie]

Good points Obiter - on the second point the vast proportion of people who use the service just want a quick, victim caring response that leads to a successful resolution.

[maggiebee]

Heard on the news that it cost £20 per vote.

[agchristie]

Yes Maggie, confirmed in the link to this.

Money that could go on the front line...