THE chair of Lancashire's Police Authority has slammed Home Office plans to carry out 'politicised' elections to decide who sits on the committees.

The Home Office's recent Green Paper claims directly elected police authorities will have a stronger role in holding their forces to account.

But Lancashire's chair, Coun Malcolm Doherty, said this would ‘politicise’ police forces.

He added: "This is making policing issues political rather than matters of competence.

"When the Mayor of London almost tells his commissioner to resign and then asks the Home Secretary not to make another appointment for 18 months, it strikes me the efforts we are making to oppose this are even more laudable."

It has been estimated that would cost round £800,000 and might be expected to take place every four years, in line with council elections.

Lancashire Police Authority also hit out at proposed response time to emergency incidents - which would not be feasible in some of the county's more rural areas.