According to the “Choose my PCC” website: “Police and Crime Commissioner and Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner elections are taking place on 6 May.

The Police and Crime Commissioner elections cover police forces in England and Wales, except for the Metropolitan Police Service, Greater Manchester Police, West Yorkshire Police and City of London Police areas. In these areas the PCC functions are exercised by the Mayor of London, the combined authority mayors for Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire, and the Court of the Common Council (part of the City of London Corporation) respectively.

You are able to find out information on the candidates standing for election in your police area on this site and you are also able to download a PDF booklet of the candidate details” (see here).

I confess that a week ago I hadn’t realised that besides voting who I want as my local councillor, I am also invited to invite who I want to be Police and Crime Commissioner (and don’t forget fire) for my county, Essex. It occurred to me I knew nothing about the candidates and the best I could do is download the PDF booklet (which does not say much) and do my research on the Internet.

When I looked into the subject of PCFC commissioners some ten years ago after it was announced it was intended this become a feature of national life, nominally to create more accountability and replace a less efficient “police authority” system, I still could not quite make out what real power they would really have and after (partly to my shame) I did not find out what those who have been PCFC commissioners actually achieved in real terms. But then I also got the impression that few people even cared. When the scheme began, there was an excellent (imho) Independent candidate (who did not get in) and it became obvious that people voted on Party lines, and Essex taken as a whole is strongly Conservative.

Sadly, all four candidates for Essex, this time around, are political nominees who I know hardly anything about and, when I come to vote, But for his rabid right connections, I could have been persuaded to vote Robin Tilbrook (English Democrat) as a protest against the wokeism besetting the Police (consider the arrests of street preachers and support of Pride events etc.) but I won’t. I am inclined to spoil my ballot paper adding some witticism along the lines “none of these guys have convinced me to vote for them, and I can’t decide who is the lesser of the remaining three evils”.

Sadly, having checked out (admittedly not as deeply as I might what is going on, I have to agree with Marvin, and here was I wittering on about the importance of voting!