In the build up to the Police and Crime Commissioner elections in November last year there was speculation as to whether there would be any public interest.
Indeed, there were questions over what this role would do, what its remit was and how influential can one person could be.
Since coming to office, Adam Simmonds has set out to prove those critics wrong and his latest announcement has already attracted considerable interest and debate.
His plans to push through an merger of the county’s police and fire services certainly has clear benefits. Like all organisations in these tough financial times, any opportunities for people to work closer together (which usually means job losses) allows them to save money and create ‘efficiencies’.
It all fits within the grand plan to move out of Wootton Hall and into the new County Hall in Angel Street and again, one can see many benefits in doing this.
What will raise eyebrows though is the
expansion of the Police and Crime
Commissioner role to potentially also head the fire service. The commissioner role is only three months old and
there is already a raft of proposals on
the agenda.
One thing is for sure. Our new Police and Crime Commissioner is a man on a mission.
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