The UK Independence Party does not intend to stand a candidate in the Avon & Somerset Police & Crime Commissioner elections on 2nd May 2024.
UKIP strongly opposes the posts of Police & Crime Commissioners. They are a waste of public resources and only serve to politicise our police.
The fact that turnout in 2021 was a lamentable 30.7%, (up from a mere 26% in 2016), tends to suggest that the voting public largely agrees with us and has little interest in this type of election.
“Treason” May’s Tory government in its wisdom, created Police and Crime Commissioners in 2011. For no good reason, she abolished local authority police committees (which were less costly and worked better) and replaced them with directly elected commissioners, which politicised policing.
Even though elected commissioners (theoretically) take an oath of impartiality upon taking office they still come with their own woke, politically correct baggage.
At its creation, a politically independent candidate was elected as the Avon & Somerset PCC and who then served from 2012 until 2021. Sadly, the 2021 election wiped-away all traces of political independence and installed a Tory Commissioner, (the former Tory deputy leader of Bath and North East Somerset Council). In other words, just another representative of the failed establishment political class. His fat salary alone is reportedly now costing local taxpayers £86,700 each year and we have to fund his 28 full time members of staff on top!
UKIP believes that the same money could be used better to increase resources for front-line policing in our rural towns and villages.
Hence; since 2021 UKIP has steadfastly refused to stand in an election for a post that we fundamentally believe should not exist and will simply produce a foregone conclusion that will result in yet another highly-paid political appointment for a member of the failed establishment elite.
It seems a fair assumption that 69.3% of voters across Avon & Somerset agree with us as the silent majority clearly sat on their hands, and just didn’t vote last time.