Chance to put questions to commissioner hopefuls (From The Oxford Times)
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Chance to put questions to commissioner hopefuls
10:00am Wednesday 31st October 2012 in News
CANDIDATES vying for the region’s top police job will debate at an Oxford hustings ahead of the vote later this month.
Elections for the new Thames Valley police and crime commissioner (PCC) will take place on Thursday, November 15.
The commissioner will represent the public and the £85,000-a-year role includes setting the force budget and priorities.
Anyone can attend the public meeting from 7pm at Oxford Town Hall on Monday.
Each of the six candidates will make a short speech before a debate and a question and answer session.
The meeting will be chaired by Professor Ian Loader, director of the Criminology Centre at the University of Oxford.
It has been organised by Tim Sadler, chairman of the Oxford Safer Communities Partnership.
Professor Loader said: “These are important elections. For the first time, voters will have a chance to elect someone who will shape police priorities and crime reduction policies in Thames Valley for the next four years.
“The hustings will enable the candidates to debate the key issues and give people the opportunity to question them on what they will do if elected as PCC.”
Oxford magistrate John Howson is standing for the Liberal Democrats, Amersham barrister Tim Starkey for Labour, former soldier Anthony Stansfeld for the Conservatives and salesman Barry Cooper for UKIP.
Reading charity trustee Patience Awe and Slough magistrate Geoff Howard are running as independents.
JonHarvey says...
4:50pm Thu 1 Nov 12
You selected a shortlist and at the interview, and you are inclined towards one person. Then you look at his application form again and realise that the facts he has given about himself are not consistent. They are small details really, but the statements he makes just do not add up to a coherent story about the current or previous jobs he has held.
This makes you wonder whether to appoint this person.
Do you…?
This is not far from what could be happening with this election for the Thames Valley Police & Crime Commissioner.
I have researched the background of Anthony Stansfeld and found that by his own declarations he both is and is not currently chairman of a company. The name of the company that he may currently be chairman of varies between his West Berkshire Council register of interests, the register of interests for Thames Valley Police Authority and his LinkedIn account. There are other inconsistencies too and all the information (with evidential support) can be found here: http://ajustfuture.b
logspot.co.uk/2012/1
0/anthony-stansfeld-
facts-do-not-add-up.
html
Are these some minor inconsistencies arising from being just a bit too rushed perhaps? Is he just not a ‘details person’? Or does this make you wonder about his credentials to occupy high political office?
It is your choice… it is your vote.