System is here to stay, despite low vote says Home Office (From Bicester Advertiser)

System is here to stay, despite low vote says Home Office

10:00am Tuesday 20th November 2012 in News

THE Home Office told the Oxford Mail it is not going to consider scrapping the new police commissioner (PCC) role despite poor turnouts in last week’s vote.

Only 13.3 per cent of the 1.69m electorate in the Thames Valley bothered to vote.

The Oxford Mail asked the Home Office if the job was likely to be scrapped as a result of the low turnout.

But Home Office spokesman Sam Eversden said: “These elections mark the biggest democratic reform in policing in our lifetimes.

“More than five million people have turned out to vote for the first ever election of police and crime commissioners, giving them an infinitely bigger mandate than the unelected and invisible police authorities they are replacing. That number will only grow in the future as people see the real impact PCCs will make in their areas, delivering on public priorities in tackling crime.”