North Yorkshire crime commissioner has no mandate – Yorkshire Post Letters

I HAVE been eligible to vote for 56 years, but last Thursday was the first time I couldn’t be bothered to vote, electing a Police, Crime and Fire Commissioner for North Yorkshire just like 74.5 per cent of the population of the county.

My only reluctance to vote was the total disinterest shown by the four prospective candidates. No posters, mail shots, flyers and certainly no canvassing. I had no clue as to who was standing or what their intentions were.

North Yorkshire will elect an orangutan providing it wears a blue rosette, so I suppose the three other candidates can’t see the point in wasting their time by showing any interest. And given the fact the electorate know nothing about the suitability of the prospective candidates, we may as well have an orangutan.

We certainly knew nothing about the previous incumbent before she was appointed. There were then nine years of lacklustre performance, colossal rises in police precept, and appointment of not very satisfactory Chief Constables. So, it’s hardly unexpected that about half a million people showed the same disinterest as I did – what on earth was wrong with the old ‘accountable’ police authorities?

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