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Originally Posted by Xaccers
Councillors represent their political party and very few people realise what the PA does (as demonstrated by some participants in this thread), let alone that it actually exists!
The public also has no say in the selection of which councillors join the PA.
That is not accountability.
As for costs, rather than paying for 17 people in a PA, you've got just the one.
Unless the goverment makes tackling crime harder for the police, nothing the commisioner can do will increase the paperwork or interfere with the police's ability to tackle crime.
It is the home office that decides proceedure, like what forms need to be filled out in triplicate, not the commisioner.
Also, the tories have stated they will reduce paperwork.
They've looked at other countries and seen the positive effect having an accountable commisioner has had.
Oh I don't know, they promised to take on the trade unions and stop the strikes that were crippling the country, seem to recall that happened.
The also promised to reduce crime and under Howard that actually happened.
True, money gained by the police through speed cameras has to be used in road safety, however this includes conferences with banquets at 5 star hotels discussing road safety.
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Councillors may or may not represent a political party (at local level there are a fair few independent as well and three line whips); whatever they are charged with representing their community and, as a body drawn up from across the local spectrum, are more representative than an elected commissioner. You're not paying for 17 members as such either; councillors have much wider remits than being on the PA.
The Tories always say they're going to cut red tape and taxes, make life all rosy, bring world peace etc
Labour are no better. And the Tories crippled the unions like they said they would. That's one pledge that we could have done with them not keeping (all those NTLers out there watching jobs haemorrage abroad might now bre wishing they had access to effective joint action and fairer employment laws). They also said the NHS was safe in their hands. Pledges, promises blah, blah, bleedin' blah. We have stagnant politics (Tory and Labour) which does us no favours and its introduction to policing would be dangerous and ineffective.
Five star hotels?! Where did that come from. I'm guessing that it's copyright Associated Newspapers!
Incidentally did crime fall under the Tories - I thought not. I remember Howard saying prison works which is quite patently not true unless he meant learning new criminal tricks and being returned to the community to try them out counts.
EDIT. And one other thing
Accountability? Why should this proposal make anybody/organisation more accountable? Detection, clear up, crime rates etc are already published (and we get details of where with our council tax bills here) it's just people can't be @arsed to look them up and then moan to the powers that be. Instead they're spoon fed selective items via the media (witness the speed camera/farmer Martin/Sarah's law stuff). This will only increase when you have an elected commissioner. It'll all become dominated, even more than it is now, by single issues such as, yawn, the speed camera debate (Don't even think of starting that one up again!!)