Electing our first police and crime commissioner

Sarah Russell, Labour's candidate for elected Police Commissioner for Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland, spoke at the all-member GC meeting last night.

Whilst this was Sarah's debut as commissioner candidate, she is very experienced in the higher levels of local government.  A long-serving councillor for the Westcotes Ward, she is currently assistant mayor in Sir Peter Soulsby's cabinet with responsibility for Neighbourhood Services - exactly the background needed to protect neighbourhood policing both within the city and out here in easily-neglected rural areas.  In reply to some challenging questions from the floor, Sarah explained how she has set up inter-agency groups to deal with local problems.   Police officers are members of those groups, working to cure the problem, not just contain it.  Most importantly, Sarah is clear - the commissioner's job is to develop the strategic framework; implementing that strategy and deploying police resources remains a professional judgement for the chief constable.

A flavour of the farago going on with other parties can be had here.  The Lib Dems claim they are not standing anywhere because they are opposed to elected police commissioners.  This may seem odd, given that Nick and Vince and the other one didn't exactly kick up a fuss in Cabinet.  The more cynical among us might assume the real reason is that they can't find enough dupes willing to endure that degree of a kicking.

The independent, Rick Moore, is a far more serious proposition.  He has been out and about on the pre-election trail for some months now - I first read about his candidacy in an alumni magazine issued the first week in January.  I have known Rick for eighteen years and he means business come November.  Activists in the City probably haven't known him quite so long but they found out he was a player when he came second to Peter Soulsby in the mayoral election last year.  And let us not forget that the same supplementary vote system is to be used for the commissioner election. 

Also speaking at the meeting was Philip Hunt, Labour lead on Home Affairs in the House of Lords.

Labour was against elected commissioners but we are a serious political party and when there is an election we stand candidates.  Just because we didn't support the principal doesn't mean we cannot commit wholeheartedly to the process.  And this, as Philip pointed out, is important - there will be people standing in these elections who want to instruct the chief constable in his duty.  There will be some who imagine the job will be like the American system we see in TV cop shows, where the commissioner spends his or her time building a political powerbase and sacks the police chief as a matter of course every election year.  That is how you politicize police officers.  And if anyone needs reminding how Britain feels about the police getting embroiled with politics they should keep an eye on the Leveson Inquiry.

Whoever wins these posts will have tremendous personal power (check out the information here), far more than elected mayors and even Boris.  They will personally set the police precept.  The scrutiny they are technically subject to is frankly pathetic.  It is therefore vital that the best people win, people with experience of public service, who put public needs before personal ambition.

The challenge is going to be turnout.  A November election, after the European Cup, Olympics and Jubilee?  I can't come up with an accurate figure for the electorate but the population here is somewhere around 940,000.  How can anyone hope to contact that many people in a meaningful way?  Especially when it hasn't yet been decided who is going to pay for the 'free' leaflet delivery.

I know I'm biased but this seems to me to be an election that simply has to be conducted largely online.  Thank goodness the GC arranged this early wake-up call!