Election of crime commissioners – usual political rip-off

I MUST agree with many of the opinions expressed by recent correspondents regarding the elections for crime commissioners.

I also had been led to believe that the candidates standing for election would have the qualifications and experience necessary to carry out the job to a high standard and make a real difference to the way our police services will be controlled and managed.

Alas not so. I now find out that all the candidates are politicians with allegiance to a political party and this is no more than the politicians trying to extend their powers so that they can fully control our police to their advantage (Yorkshire Post, November 5).

The usual biased voting is to be expected with electors casting their vote for the party they always support with no regard for the candidate’s suitability for the position they are standing for. In a nutshell – the usual political rip-off.

For the first time in more than half a century, I will not be voting in an election as I consider this one to be a corruption of our (so-called) democracy. The old joke immediately springs to mind: “Don’t vote, it only encourages ‘em” – although I, for one, am not laughing.

However, all will not be lost if another voting process can be carried out at the same time. The polling stations will be operational; all the staff and necessary infrastructure will be in place and it only needs a referendum paper on our continuing membership of the European Community to ensure that just about every citizen of the UK goes to vote.

Dream on, my fellow Britons.

From: Keith W Sturdy, Grimbald Road, Knaresborough.

IT looks as if the Conservative Party’s bright idea of forcing police commissioners on us is going to be a complete flop and looks like biting them on the backside. Did they really want the local police run by ageing buffoons from the Labour Party, because that’s the way it is looking in East Yorkshire (I refuse to call it Humberside.)

John, Lord Prescott did not want Police Commissioners at one point, but has obviously now realised that being one will put a few more carriages on his already over-laden gravy train, and boost his bloated ego even further.

When are the Conservatives going to learn to listen to the public, and stick to the adage: “If it ain’t broken don’t try and fix it”? What with elected mayors, pasty taxes, VAT on mobile homes, regional public sector pay etc, what are they going to think up next? If they want Labour to win the next election they are going the right way about it. Long live Ukip.

From: John Anderson, Sandbeck Road, Doncaster.

I THOUGHT each crime commissioner candidate was independent, impartial and absolutely non-political. This is obviously far from being the case.

I received through my letterbox today an expensively produced electioneering leaflet projecting a candidate as a leader to fight against government cuts and endorsed by my Westminster MP and three local councillors.

It is a blatantly political document which seems to me to conflict with the oath of impartiality the PCC will be required to swear before taking office. I would imagine that the other two wards in Doncaster will have similar backing from their MPs and councillors. I would like to see a large turnout of voters for the PCC election, but would please ask that those that do vote look at the candidates closely and vote for their manifesto, not their political affiliations and backers.

From: Bob Swallow, Townhead Avenue, Settle.

AFTER considerable difficulty, I have managed to access details on the candidates standing in North Yorkshire, two women. I am not a lot wiser and it is merely a matter of whether to not bother at all or deface my voting paper in protest.

It is all a farce, probably best summed up by the next item on the web page and I quote, “Naughty local girls, browse free, local photos and profiles”. I didn’t, but it might be more interesting.