POLICE and Crime Commissioner Dan Price has defended his decision to back the Labour candidate in the Bewsey & Whitecross by-election after being accused of breaching a code of impartiality.
The criticism followed Mr Price backing Maitane Akban, the Labour candidate in the Bewsey and Whitecross by-election at Warrington, tomorrow, Thursday.
His support received criticism on social media with one person saying: “Although elected on a party political basis, PCCs in office should be impartial when it comes to local/national elections.”
Another said: “I think PCC Price has forgotten about impartiality.”
Another added: “He should keep his nose out of politics and his political opinions to himself.”
When elected, Police and Crime Commissioners take an oath of impartiality within their role.
In response to the criticism, Mr Price said: “This is quite frankly nonsense. Anyone who knows me knows that I work across the political spectrum. This is just classic Reform, who’ve spent weeks spreading fear and undermining hard-working police officers, whilst ignoring that crime is falling and neighbourhood officer numbers are rising by 20% in Cheshire.”
“Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) are elected officials who are all affiliated with political parties and are a vital check and balance on police, ensuring the public’s priorities are well served. While the PCC commits to act with impartiality in their duties relating to policing, there is nothing to stop PCCs undertaking political activity, including campaigning, in their own time. This also applies to other elected persons, such as councillors and MPs.”
Mr Price has previously been a Labour member on Warrington Borough Council.
1 Comment
It was a retrograde step to have PCCs in the first place. They were introduced by Theresa May, without any meaningful public consultation, long before Reform popped up on the political scene. You could judge the general public’s view on the relevance of PCCs by the very low turn out at their first election. So much so they are now on the local elections voting paper to hide public disenchantment with the position. Add to that the periodic publicised PCC donations to local good causes, and you get the picture of trying to justify their existence. Politics and policing do not mix as the performance of repeated PCCs here and across the country shows.