Today across England and Wales we need to elect a Police and Crime Commissioner in our area. Many people disagree with the idea of an elected Police and Crime Commissioner and many people disagree with the loss of the Police Authorities that have been replaced with an individual PCC for each Police Service area. I personally have mixed views, but the coalition Government led by the Conservative David Cameron from 2010 to 2015 were the people who determined that PCCs would be introduced. They also made a very strong case when they introduced the PCC approach that the only people who should be allowed to stand up for this role should be Independent people who had no direct connection with any political party. It was therefore very strange that the same Government then chose to release both Conservative and Liberal Democratic candidates in 2012. However the principle they set out at the beginning is correct. Party Politics in agencies such as the Police, Fire and Rescue Services and indeed many other parts of the public sector need to be protected from party politics. Some Independent PCCs are excellent and one or two were not so good. Inevitably some of the Labour and Conservative PCCs were dangerous and destructive and some were not. However the danger of the party politics was much more concerning. For as long as PCCs who are individual people who are held to account by groups that are 90% party political, have responsibility of Police or Fire and Rescue Services, they need to be free from party politics themselves.