I want to be our first police commissioner
A senior Conservative has become the first politician to publicly declare an interest in becoming Leicestershire's first elected police commissioner.
Nick Rushton, the deputy leader of Leicestershire County Council, said he intended to put his name forward for the first election of its kind a year from now.
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The Government believes elected police and crime commissioners (PCCs) will hold chief constables to account and set priorities more rigorously then existing police authorities, which will be scrapped.
However, a study this week found only a quarter of people knew about or understood the new post.
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Elections for the post – which will include the power to hire and fire senior officers – will be held in November next year in 41 police force areas of England and Wales.
Coun Rushton spoke as parties in Leicestershire's 10 parliamentary constituencies began drawing up plans for a series of hearings to select one candidate each for the £75,000-a-year post.
Coun Rushton, who has been involved in local politics for more than 25 years, said: "It is certainly a job a lot of local politicians would like to do.
"I certainly won't be the only person looking to do it. What I have to do is let my name go forward and see how I go on.
"It's a completely new role which will make it a very interesting job. It will be completely different for the chief constable to have someone working so closely with him."
The only other public figure to declare an interest in running in next November's election is magistrate and estate agent Rick Moore – an unsuccessful candidate in Leicester's mayoral election.
Councillor Simon Galton, who leads the Liberal Democrat group on the county council, said the party would be putting in place plans for its own selection process before Christmas.
He said: "There will have to be hustings and the candidates would need to produce statements of what their priorities would be.
"At the same time there has been concern in the party about the accountability of the commissioners and that is something which still needs to be looked at."
Leicester's elected mayor, Sir Peter Soulsby, said the Labour Party was also laying out plans for its selection process.
He said: "It's going to be a very influential post.
"I hope I'm proved wrong, but the advantage of the current system is the chief constable is held to account by a police authority which reflects the balance of the city and the county.
"I'm not sure policing lends itself to a one fits all approach."
Policing minister Nick Herbert has said police and crime commissioners will need to be "outstanding leaders".
Publicity for the elections will be prepared in the new year by the Electoral Commission.
Comments
by robbinghood
Friday, April 20 2012, 5:30PM
“I not know of him ,yet!I live in the city and "we" have put forward one of paypacket petes clowns from his circus.what is wrong with an open debate,say at demont hall for everyone to attend and debate who we want on their qualities?”
by sydney11
Wednesday, November 23 2011, 5:56PM
“Another 'job for the boys' then”
by wooliback2
Wednesday, November 23 2011, 11:41AM
“its a bit like the mayor job get in get a pay rise ah”
by CGLee
Wednesday, November 23 2011, 11:39AM
“What the heck does Nick Rushton know about policing? This is an ill-considered, ridiculous plan that is fraught with danger.
Those "elected" will inevitably have their own political agenda, which is anathema to policing, which has always been independent of politics.
The current system of a Police Authority overseeing the Chief Constable is far more appropriate, with a committe of people drawn from all sectors of local society, some politicians from the various parties, some magistrates, with at least some knowlege of the law and others independent of politics.
To place the power of the Police Authority into the hands of one man or woman is extremely dangerous. It is asking for corruption to become a part of the senior management of police forces.
And what happens when, inevitably, one of these Commissioners is arrested and charged with a criminal offence? He or she will have to be suspended, so who then oversees the police force concerned? I suppose that the £75K Commissioner will have his/her deputy and assistants all on inflated salaries.
If it ain't broke, why mend it, as someone once said?”
by TROYSTOKER
Wednesday, November 23 2011, 11:11AM
“Policing minister Nick Herbert has said police and crime commissioners will need to be "outstanding leaders".
Well that puts this lot out of the running then!”