PCC elections.

I voted at the PCC elections. The turn out here was 16.2% which is pretty low. People have fought for hundreds of years to give us the right to vote, but some people waste that right.

What really annoys me is that people always find a reason not to vote, then it's those same people that moan about the way that the country is run. I bet a lot of these non-voters will be moaning soon about the way that their local police force is run.

It's as simple as this. You've had your right to vote. If you didn't excercise that right, then you are in no position to complain about how the service that you receive.

nonsense. voting does not give you the right to complain. paying tax does.

I contribute massively to society, financially and as a volunteer. are you telling me that if I don't vote I should have no say in society?

i didn't have the option but if I did I wouldn't have. electing policemen is a ridiculous idea. you might as well elect doctors.

I voted, but in truth I would rather have voted NO to the posts being formed in the first place rather then pick from an internet page of info on 5 hopefulsin my county.... I don't understand why we need a Police Commissioner in the first place.  Waste of my tax.  Hurumph.

I always vote in parlimentary and local elections, but didn't this time.  I don't hink it was apathy; I took the time to find details of the three local candidates (whcih wasn't easy) and even decided which one I would vote for.  But I didn't really know what the job invlolved.  How could I decide who would be best for the job if I didn't even know what the job was that I was actually voting for?

I decided that, due to my lack of understanding my choice woudl be based solely on dogma, which is something that I've always tried to avoid.  So I abstained.

elected policing is a very dangerous development.

The police need to be able to make decisions based on the law and not based on popularity. most people are not qualified to make value judgements on who should occupy these roles. myself included.

I voted, but to be honest do not agree with this being an elected position in the first place. I am shocked by the lack of information about the candidates and the system. I did go on the internet to find out what candidates were standing, but then was thrown when I went to vote and had to put a first and second place, realised I had no idea what voting system was being used and how the second preference vote would be used. No wonder most people didn't bother or spoilt the ballot paper!

mathschick - despite introducing this policy, the coalition clearly had no great enthusiasm for it. they did nothing to get behind it or promote the issues involved.

If we hadn't had aan independent candidate I would have spoiled my ballot. There is no way that policing should be politicised. Stupid American idea!

I didn't want a politically motivated Police Commissioner, and was dubious about the one independent standing here. However, all 4 candidates were subject to a grilling at my daughter's school. The feedback she gave was excellent. On that basis I realised that the independent was ex-Police, not a jumped up Councillor, so he got my vote, and my wifes, and ultimately got the job.

the dude abides wrote (see)

nonsense. voting does not give you the right to complain. paying tax does.

I contribute massively to society, financially and as a volunteer. are you telling me that if I don't vote I should have no say in society?

i didn't have the option but if I did I wouldn't have. electing policemen is a ridiculous idea. you might as well elect doctors.

the dude abides wrote (see)

nonsense. voting does not give you the right to complain. paying tax does.

I contribute massively to society, financially and as a volunteer. are you telling me that if I don't vote I should have no say in society?

i didn't have the option but if I did I wouldn't have. electing policemen is a ridiculous idea. you might as well elect doctors.

the dude abides wrote (see)

elected policing is a very dangerous development.

The police need to be able to make decisions based on the law and not based on popularity. most people are not qualified to make value judgements on who should occupy these roles. myself included.

You're not electing policemen. you're electing someone who can be held accountable when the service that you receive is poor.

the dude abides wrote (see)

nonsense. voting does not give you the right to complain. paying tax does.

I contribute massively to society, financially and as a volunteer. are you telling me that if I don't vote I should have no say in society?

i didn't have the option but if I did I wouldn't have. electing policemen is a ridiculous idea. you might as well elect doctors.

the dude abides wrote (see)

elected policing is a very dangerous development.

The police need to be able to make decisions based on the law and not based on popularity. most people are not qualified to make value judgements on who should occupy these roles. myself included.

the dude abides wrote (see)

nonsense. voting does not give you the right to complain. paying tax does.

I contribute massively to society, financially and as a volunteer. are you telling me that if I don't vote I should have no say in society?

i didn't have the option but if I did I wouldn't have. electing policemen is a ridiculous idea. you might as well elect doctors.

You have given up your right to complain by not voting.

Rickster - erm. no I have not. I will complain anytime I like thanks

when the expenses scandal was broken by the telegraph do you think everyone stopped and said....'woah woah woah wait.....did these guys actually vote?"

citizenship does not stop and start by ticking a box.

on a pedantic note, rights are defined by being unconditional, and not dependent on an act of bureacracy in a booth. people died so that we could have the right to choose whether to vote or not. they didn't die to make that action compulsory. those that did would I'm sure respect the position of those that abstain than someone who denies the 'right to complain' because they didn't.

As regards the defined role of the crime commissioner, i'd like to know how we define when our service is poor?

There are obvious cases of negligence like Hillsborough but, on a day-to-day level, I don't think I am qualified to decide if the police are doing their job properly As in any other profession, the IPCC is there to enforce good standards of practice.

If the IPCC aren't doing their job properly, then that needs to be reformed. They don't need an election of a politician by an generally uninformed electorate.

the dude abides wrote:

i didn't have the option but if I did I wouldn't have. electing policemen is a ridiculous idea. you might as well elect doctors.

Why did you not have the option, are you not a UK resident or on the electoral roll?

Gee Raff wrote (see)

the dude abides wrote:

i didn't have the option but if I did I wouldn't have. electing policemen is a ridiculous idea. you might as well elect doctors.

Why did you not have the option, are you not a UK resident or on the electoral roll?

No, i'm Scottish. happily, we aren't electing police commissioners.

Big G - in most cases you are probably right. However, the right to 'not be arsed' is also one I respect It should not deny you the right to complain as a citizen (subject) of this country.

That election cost 100 million to arrange, enough to pay for 3000 more police officers for the duration  fo their career.....money well spent for an average of 16% of the country to vote??

And these elected PCC will want furnished offices and cars with a driver which will waste £££.

I didn't vote as big boris already has the job done here

And as if we have not wasted enough on inventing a job that has been needed for the last 150 years then they are now holding a publice inquiry to find out why no one bothered to vote....they could save the cash and read the varied opinions on this forum.

I agree, it is obvious why people didn't vote! A lot of people probably didn't even know the election was on, they no information about or from the candidates, no-one knows what the post entails, and to be honest I bet the majority of the population couldn't care less. What a total waste of public money, at a time when budgets are being cut all over the place, kids are leaving school unable to read, the nhs is falling apart through lack of funding....

I better stop before I get really angry about it all