The New Sheriff Rides Into Town

2012 will be a tough year for sure, even the PM reckons it will be tougher than 2011 and just about everyone I know is preparing themselves for the worst. One thing on the horizon that has not had an awful lot of publicity so far is the fact that in 11 months time we will be going to the polls to elect our "chief of police", or Sheriff as they call them in America, ours will have the catchy title of Police and Crime Commissioner PCC for short.

At the moment, the strategic direction of the police force and its overall budget, including the bit we all pay through our council tax bill, is set by an organisation called the Police Authority, a body which I have just recently started to serve on. Currently the Avon and Somerset Police Authority is made up of elected members from the councils within the police district (Somerset, North Somerset, BANES, Bristol and South Gloucestershire) with the addition of independent members to make up the committee.

As of November 2012 this body will disappear and it will be replaced by one person, the elected PCC, this elected individual will set the priorities of the force, he or she will decide on the budget, including the amount we will all pay, and will have the power to appoint or fire the Chief Constable. With that amount of responsibility, you would have thought it would be vital to have someone of considerable knowledge and experience in place to ensure that these important decisions are taken in a responsible manner, however it seems like we might be in for a celeb bun fight in a number of force areas if the recent rumour mill is anything to go by.

In addition to a number of washed up ex Labour ministers who seem to want to get in on the action, it is rumoured that Tony Robinson, Labour luvvie and actor, may be throwing his hat into the ring in Avon and Somerset, Carol Vorderman, Celeb and Maths whizz is also reported to be interested and Katie Price AKA Jordan is apparently going to stand in Hampshire.

Now I'm sure this trio, and any others in the background, have plenty of redeeming features, but in control of our police force?

Just what is Katie Price going to bring to the table? Perhaps she is going to paint all the police cars shocking pink and introduce new regulations for the control of Door Staff at Clubs and Pubs otherwise known as "bouncers", Tony Robinson is bound to have a few ideas to put forward for the police plan, most of them a cunning as a fox with a degree in cunning from the university of cunning, and Carol V shouldn't have too much trouble with the half a billion pound budget!! But seriously, this is a huge job, and it will require an individual with remarkable qualities to carry it out, surely it is far too important to be put in the hands of celebrities with no experience at all?

Well we will soon know, over the next 6 months or so, the selections from the various political parties will start their campaigns, alongside I'm sure a number of very able independent candidates, I only hope the public use their common sense and vote in someone who can do the job, rather than someone who has been famous on TV for five minutes.