Clause 1 — Police and crime commissioners
Police Reform and Social Responsibility Bill
6:00 pm
Stephen McCabe (Birmingham, Selly Oak, Labour)
It is true that the members of police authorities are indirectly elected and are party people. However, is not the difference that most of the commissioners will owe their allegiance directly to the political party that maintains the machine that gets them into power? They will have two people to whom they are obligated—they will have an obligation not only to the electorate, but to the political machine—and so they will be party political commissioners.