Douglas Carswell's Blog

Police commissioners; who will stand?

From May 2012, we'll be able to elect a local police commissioner to oversee local policing where we live.  This has the potential to make policing properly locally accountable - and innovative, with different priorities set for different areas. 

But who will stand for the role?   

There's a strong case for ensuring that the ballot paper in the May 2012 elections does not include any mention of party allegiance.  We need local contests that are not dominated by party politics, but focus on individual qualities. 

I suspect there will be a strong appetite among voters for independent candidates - or at least independent-minded ones.    

Political parties should be wary of simply putting up party insiders for the role.  They'd be wiser to either endorse a suitable independent contender - or hold an open primary contest of some sort to allow everyone a say over who gets to be the candidate.

In our digital age, people as consumers want the niche, the distinctive, the particular and the local.  So, too, as citizens.  It is time to move away from mass, generic brand politics, and the May 2012 elections for police commissioners are a good place to start. 

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