ELECTED Police and Crime Commissioners: what is the point?

The advocates of the scheme say that the position will be politically impartial, but with the main parties fielding their own candidates, how will that be possible?

Even the independents will need campaign supporters, and therein lies the problem.

Any election of this nature requires adequate finance and/or influential bankers and once the new commissioner is installed, those same people are bound to want a say in his/her decision making.

But we are not talking about street cleaning or keeping parks tidy, we are talking about law and order, the backbone of civilised society.

The present system has its faults, but at least there are enough checks and balances to stop things becoming too extreme.

To elect one person with the power to hire and fire Chief Constables and set police budgets is all very well, but if they turn out to be inadequate, how will they be removed before the next election?

A Greenhalgh, Ross Street, Newport