Police and Crime Commissioner Debate

[Joe K]

I had this idea of trying to set up something like the Presidential election debates in the US, or at least that one they managed to have (did Obama ever do one?).

Basic idea was to have each candidate tackle the same question, and let a panel of broadly neutral judges rate their answers, round by round. It wouldn't be about anyone winning so much as us getting real answers...

Letting the candidates have the questions a few hours in advance would be best, I'd say, because it would save waiting around for them to type a response, and they could try to anticipate what the other answers would be, rock/paper/scissors stylee.

I know the chances of getting them to do it on this forum are pretty slim, but it's like that saying; 'Aim for the moon, even if you miss, you'll land among the stars'. Maybe TiG will do this as a live chat, but they'll still need good questions, so does anyone have any..?

[Joe K]

Because there's this thing called Google, I looked up some questions. The second lot were numbered from 1 as well, so I changed that...

www.guardian.co.uk/public-leaders-network/blog/2012/jan/30/ten-questions-police-crime-commissioners

1. This year, a number of police authorities have taken a one-off grant from the government in order to reduce their precept and the impact of the cuts. There is no guarantee that this money will continue which means that next year, the new PCCs may have to make even bigger cuts or seek higher precepts. If you had been elected last year, what would you have done and why? Would you have chosen to take the one-off grant or not?


2. The new Act gives PCCs the power to "commission policing services from the chief constable (or other providers)". How do you envisage using this power and what risks do you foresee?


3. How do you plan to forge a constructive relationship with the chief constable, and what will you be doing to avoid or handle conflicting views and priorities?


4. On the basis that limited police resources need to be deployed in proportion to where and when there is greatest risk of harm to members of the public, as PCC what action will you take to ensure your police force is doing this optimally?


5. Given the focus on the relationship between the police and the news media, what would you hope to achieve in your first 100 days of office in this respect?


6. How much do you worry that a large proportion of police resources spent on devising partnership protocols, emergency plans and interagency strategies etc, are broadly equivalent to all the effort that went into Year 2000 compatibility?


7. It would seem that the fear of crime continues to rise despite the reductions in actual crime. What electoral promises will you make regarding this worrying trend?


8. As PCC you will be elected by the people of your area. However the police often work in other force areas (as happened with the riots last year) and maintain resources to tackle national (often organised) crime. What tensions do you foresee there and how will you resolve them?


9. Is policing a complex business or a complicated one?


10. Police authorities have been criticised for being too invisible. How will you visibly connect with all the diverse communities of your area and bring democratic accountability to life?

www.guardian.co.uk/public-leaders-network/blog/2012/jun/13/police-crime-commissioners-13-questions

11. How will you really add value to the police service and other parts of the criminal justice system?


12. Who will you want in your team and why?


13. What will you do about alleged institutional racism in the police service, and what action will you take to tackle it?


14. Much is talked about the PCCs being electorally accountable, but that is only every four years. What will you do in between elections to remain accountable to the public that you will represent?


15. How will you balance the significant centralising power that you as PCC will have with the fact that crime and community safety issues are often very localised and particular?


16. What is your view of the proposed powers of the National Crime Agency will have, enabling it to require support from local police forces? Are these powers a threat, an opportunity or do they make no difference to the integrity of the force you hope to lead?


17. There is a widespread view that PCCs risk "over-politicising" the police and community safety services, not least among senior and junior police officers and staff. How will you handle this?


18. What do you imagine you will actually do from day to day?


19. Putting aside the budget for the police service itself, you will have significant other resources to be used to fund initiatives and services designed to prevent crime and improve community safety. How will you decide how to cut that cake?


20. The distinction between the PCC's strategic role and the chief constable's operational independence is clearly stated in the statute. However in practice this boundary could well be more blurred. Where will it be most blurred?


21. What is your view of target setting, aspirational aims and SMART goals?


22. What do you plan to be your main contribution to improving the performances of the services that you will lead, fund or influence?


23. What do you hope to achieve in your first 100 days?



Some seem a little dry. What are the important questions, or do they suggest more pertinent ones?