The battle to become the first Police and Crime Commissioner for the West Midlands has got underway as nominations closed for candidates to take part in next month’s elections.
Police Minister Damian Green said elections would allow the public to hold the force to account.
But he admitted the Home Office had spent £3 million on an advertising campaign to encourage the public to turn out and vote.
Critics have questioned the decision to hold the election on November 15, during winter, instead of in May alongside local elections.
Nominations close at noon on October 19. Candidates who have already put themselves forward for the £100,000-a-year post include former Birmingham councillor Matt Bennett for the Conservatives, Bill Etheridge for UKIP and former Detective Superintendent Cath Hannon, standing as an independent.
Other candidates include Wolverhampton councillor Bob Jones, a former member of West Midlands Police Authority, who is standing for Labour, former Birmingham councillor Ayoub Khan for the Liberal Democrats, former CID detective Mike Rumble, standing as an independent, and Bishop Derek Webley, the former chair of the police authority, also an independent.
The Police and Crime Commissioner will scrutinise the work of the force, set priorities and oversee the budget. The Chief Constable, Chris Sims, will report to the new commissioner, who will potentially have the power to dismiss him.
Their first tasks will include overseeing dramatic cuts to funding for West Midlands Police, and deciding whether to proceed with controversial plans for a partnership with private sector suppliers.
Mr Green said: “Everyone is concerned about the safety of their streets, the level of crime in their town.
“And for the first time ever they will now have a democratically elected voice who will hold the local police to account, who will set he police budget, who will write a police plan for years to come and will produce annual reports on it so they can be held continuously to account themselves.
“So if people have concerns they will now have a voice at the table and they will have someone they themselves can hold to account at the next elections in four years time.”
Campaigner Ray Egan - known to many as his alter ego “John Bull” - has scrapped plans to stand as an independent after learning he would need to provide a £5,000 deposit.
The former police officer opposes the concept of police and crime commissioners and had planned to stand as part of a campaign against the post. He said he wold continue his campaign in other ways.
