Today I have been debating with my alter ego, Subject: Should I exercise my democratic duty and vote in the “Police and Crime Commissioner” election. Well no!
Simply put North Yorkshire is a considerable area, one of the largest geographical constituencies in the country, but our options regarding the candidates for the aforesaid commissioner, are two middle aged ladies, each affiliated to the party machines, Conservative and Labour. No other candidates have come through, I know not why, shame really I would have liked to see some independents like some of the other areas. Therefore I cannot bring myself to vote, the choice is too short by any measure.
Moreover [it’s a lovely word, to craft into an article don’t you think?] of the two candidates, both of whom have remained very low profile, only one has managed to engage a ‘stuffer’, a volunteer to walk the streets and risk hand and fingers with tricky letter boxes to afford us voters a simple brochure setting out their intended manifesto! So I have no idea what the opposition is offering… hmm, hardly a basis for encouraging local democracy.
So if they, that is our elected representatives, through the good auspices of the Civil Service cannot roll it out properly I see no reason to step out on this chilly November day to mark the card! I hope that the whole thing is considered a flop, because it is simply not good enough.
I had reason to be visited by our local police not long ago, and I found the person (I’m being gender neutral here) to be most helpful, so my experience recently is good.
At the risk of labouring things I will to recount an earlier experience with the same North Yorkshire Police, but far removed in both time and distance from my present demesne. Haplessly I was found to have transgressed the local speed limit by a few modest miles per hour above that sanctum of civil order thirty miles. I was therefore requested, nay obliged as I was without on the occasion, to proffer my documents within seven days at a police station of my choice. Pudsey, was the station I volunteered and I duly appeared before the desk officer within the prescribed time scale. Sadly, because I had not long before moved house, I had no longer my grubby hands on the vehicle registration document, it was within the auspices of her majesty’s government, the DVLC in Swansea. The presiding officer duly informed me in monotone, that in the light of my inability to provide the said document, despite his acceptance of my plight, I was not eligible for a fixed penalty but must present myself before the magistrates!
Well, this is the way things work, stupid I know, as indeed I’m sure you would agree. So from a £30.00 fixed fine and 3 points, I was the unhappy recipient of a £90.00 fine (I think, if I recall correctly) along with the same number of points!
To get to the heart of the matter, forget the Police and Crime Commissars, do things simply, use common sense, throw away the book on political correctness, get out of the expensive “BMW/Audi/Range Rover et al” patrol cars and try a bit of walking the beat. I predict in short order that great strides [pun intended] will be made towards a safer and better police service.
[Update: 16th November 2012]
Julia Mulligan takes the post, with 47,885 votes. Based on the 13.3% turnout and the number of voters being 82,213 that gives her 7.75% of the electorate, hardly a ringing endorsement for the idea. I can reveal that at least she did send out a pamphlet describing her objectives, whereas as I noted previously the second candidate did not.
Julia’s plans on page three of her pamphlet stated:
Julia is determined to find new ways to do more with less, whilst protecting frontline policing. This is one reason why Julia will seek to close and move staff from Newby Wiske Hall, the Grade II listed mansion where our police are headquartered. “Newby Wiske Hall costs over £820,000 a year to run. That’s the equivalent of approximately 30 new police constables. I believe its far better to spend money on policing not property. I dread to think what the lawn mowing costs are alone.”
More on this in a future post!