Embargo: 1631 | 22 August 2014
I would like to warmly welcome the new Police & Crime Commissioner for the West Midlands, Mr [insert appropriate name here]. I look forward to working with him on tackling the considerable challenges facing policing in that area. Whilst I disagreed with Bob Jones on many issues, his tenure will be a very hard act to follow.
With regard to the record low electoral turnout of 10.32%: this is 4% more than I predicted yesterday! This is a significant achievement.
After all, yesterday was very sunny and I can imagine that the people of the West Midlands had better things to do. (After all, arranging a day trip to the polling station is not nearly as exciting as a trip to the local swimming baths.) But this is in no possible way, means that PCCs have fallen out of favour with the voting public. Far from it, only yesterday, I had two letters from PCCs in different parts of the country, telling me how many people they have shaken hands with at summer fêtes over the last few months.
But of course, August was a daft month in which to hold an election and I will be disciplining the civil servants responsible for drafting the statute that basically gave us no choice. [Especially after UKIP's insensitivity at calling for a election even before the previous PCC's funeral had occurred]*
And crime continues to fall of course, which I attribute to the ongoing success of PCCs.
>Ends<
*Note to editors: remove this bracketed comment if UKIP happen to have won the election - we don't want to start off on the wrong foot...!
UPDATED 1039 | 220814
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