Police chiefs’ empire building

POLICE and crime commissioners are once 
again in the news. Following revelations about Kent, it is 
now reported that Gwent’s PCC, Ian Johnston, has ordered the Chief Constable, Ms Carmel Napier, to retire or be forced out of office because she quite 
rightly opposed the appointment of PCCs.

At the time they were elected on a tiny mandate, I publicly forecast two things; role conflict with chief constables and the likelihood of mini empires with associated costs.

Already PCCs have 449 employees nationally and 
PCCs are paid more than MPs. 
In my view, after their period 
of office, they should be confined to the large waste bin of failed political experiments.

We don’t need to import American-style political control of policing; let the professional chief constables get on with the job and banish the possibility of role conflict.

Motor vendetta

From: Andrew Mercer, Guiseley.

ON the Leeds ring road the other morning, there was a cyclist riding on the wrong side of the road – while talking on a mobile phone. At the same time, a police car passed. What did the driver of the patrol car do? They just carried on, proving to me at the police do have a vendetta against motorists.

Tour de farce

From: Rhys Thomas, Richmond, North Yorkshire.

I’M not surprised by the recent spate of correspondence about the mismanagement of Leeds Bradford International Airport. Nor am I surprised about the airport’s silence – they really do not care.

But, given that many visitors to the Tour de France launch next summer will use LBA, I’m surprised by the silence of Welcome To Yorkshire and Leeds City Council. They should be holding the airport to account before it becomes an international embarrassment.