Meet Your New Police Commissioner 

Accountant and magistrate is the new man in charge of Wiltshire Police

   

Angus Macpherson has been elected as the Police & Crime Commissioner for Wiltshire - the first in the UK.

  

The result was announced last night at the count at the Oasis in Swindon, with Conservative Macpherson ahead of Labour's Clare Moody.

    

Neither candidate managed to get 50% of votes, so second preference votes were allocated.

 

The turnout was only 15.8%.

"The challenge of the job is magnificent. This is a blank canvas, no-one has done it before," Macpherson said.

 

 

 

Pictures by Calyx

12 October 2012  

Who Will Lead Wilts & Swindon Police?

 

Sarah Hill Wheeler looks at the people who will be responsible for holding the police to account and for setting the force’s strategic objectives

 

On 15 November 2012, in the first ever elections, 41 new police and crime commissioners will be elected across England and Wales to give you a say when it comes to cutting crime in your area.

So far, six candidates have put themselves forward to become Wiltshire’s first Commissioner:

 

Who's standing:

Clare Moody

Labour

Unite official

 

Paul Batchelor

Liberal Democrats

Warminster businessman

 

Angus Macpherson

Conservative

Former Swindon Borough Councillor

 

John Short

UKIP

former deputy chief executive of Swindon Borough Council

 

Colin Skelton

Independent

A counter-terrorism expert and  Special Constable with Wiltshire Constabulary

 

Liam Silcocks

Independent

Anti-police corruption campaigner

 

 

What will they do?

The Commissioner will be responsible for holding the police to account and for setting the force’s strategic objectives. They will appoint and, if necessary, dismiss the Chief Constable.

The Commissioner will also set the police budget and policing precept (that part of the council tax that goes to the police). This year, council tax funded over a third of Wiltshire police’s budget.

Ultimately, therefore, the Commissioner may have a big impact on how many police are on the street and the level of council tax we pay.

The Police and Crime Commissioner is a new office. From November, each police force in England and Wales (other than London) will have a Commissioner instead of a police authority.

 

The old police authorities were committees made up of magistrates, independent members and members nominated by the local authority. In contrast, the Commissioner will be a single individual, holding office for a fixed term. Most importantly, local residents will decide directly who gets to be Commissioner.  

 

15 November

The elections, which will take place on 15 November, form part of the Government’s wide-ranging police reforms. The changes aim to make the police more accountable and to increase local democracy. 

Critics, however, claim that they will lead to the politicisation of the police.

A UK Gov poll revealed that a majority of people (59%) considered former police officers would make the best candidates. Only 7% thought a local councillor or politician would make the best Commissioner.  

There is, perhaps, a feeling that the police know best how to police. As Colin Skelton, an independent candidate and special constable, put it, there is a real “need to understand what is happening at the core.” 

Pundits predict a low turnout. Voter cynicism is a big factor.

However, critics also point to a lack of effective publicity. There will be no direct mail shots for the election. Instead, the public must go online to find out more about their candidates or register (by phone or online) to receive a paper version of the candidate information.

You can find out more about the elections via the link below or by telephoning 0800 1 070708