THE post of West Midlands deputy police commissioner looks set to be axed after three out of four candidates for the top job said they would scrap it.
Tory police and crime commissioner (PCC) candidate Les Jones said that the £65,000-a-year job would go and be replaced with a series of part-time ambassadors covering the different parts of the West Midlands patch.
The UKIP candidate and an independent standing for the role have followed suit, saying they plan to scrap the position.
The role of deputy police and crime commissioner has recently been under the spotlight following the controversial suspension of Labour’s Yvonne Mosquito in the run up to the May 5 election.
Her boss, Labour PCC David Jamieson, suspended her in March following allegations she had interfered in a murder investigation - but it was rumoured she was going to be replaced after the election anyway.
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Now Mr Jones has confirmed he would do away with the role.
“If given the privilege of becoming the next Police and Crime Commissioner for the West Midlands I plan to abolish the post of deputy commissioner,” he said.
“I want more staff out in communities helping keep people safe and making links with organisations, like schools and religious groups, as well as developing priorities from the grass roots.
“Having a deputy sitting in an office under me at police headquarter won’t accomplish that, so I will plough the money saved from abolishing the post to fund the new team of assistant commissioners.”
His commissioners would represent each of the seven council areas covered by West Midlands Police, and applicants from all backgrounds, not necessarily politicians, would be encouraged to apply.
There have been rumours that Mr Jamieson could too break up the deputy’s role into a number of smaller roles, but he has not confirmed this.
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A Labour spokesman said: “No decisions have been made and won’t be until after the election. David Jamieson is committed to recruiting more officers and protecting PCSOs from redundancy – maybe Les should focus on those issues.”
UKIP candidate Pete Durnell said: “If elected I will be aiming both to make the team as efficient as possible, and also to reduce costs wherever possible. Not appointing a deputy PCC would be a natural first step towards this.”
Independent candidate Andy Flynn has also pledged to scrap the role.
