COMMENT: Don’t blame him for police chief’s very low profile (From Oxford Mail)

COMMENT: Don’t blame him for police chief’s very low profile

9:00am Friday 1st March 2013 in News

THE lack of recognition of Thames Valley’s Police and Crime Commissioner Anthony Stansfeld by the public is more a reflection of the shambles created by the Home Office than on his admittedly low key first 100 days in office.

The introduction of Police Commissioners was a woeful affair, from lack of publicity about the switch to the new commissioners to the holding of the elections in winter, which virtually guaranteed a farcically low turnout.

Today marks 100 days in charge of Thames Valley Police for Mr Stansfeld and he has pledged that he will start to be more visible in the community. Mr Stansfeld has taken over a hugely complex force with many varied demands from its differing communities, and the first requirement was for him to fully understand how it functions.

It would have been the worst of populist politics if he had rushed out to make off-the-cuff pledges about changes without knowing if they were even feasible.

You may not recognise him now but hopefully, given his promise, he will become a more familiar face over the next few months as he cogently and sensibly guides Thames Valley Police’s future.