I AM amazed that Conserv-ative Rossendale and Darwen MP Jake Berry is fully behind the election of ‘police commissioners’ (LT, August 30).

For a start, virtually no-one with any experience in policing supports the policy.

The police, police authorities, borough councils, county councils, rank and file police representatives, chief constables, local government associations, the Association of Councillors, etc are all against the idea of police commissioners.

Secondly, these national elections will cost millions of pounds at a time when the police are facing cuts of 20 per dent from the ConDem Government.

Lancashire Police alone are having to cut back by £42million in four years. 201 officers have been lost in Lancashire in 2010/11 – a reduction of 5.5 per cent. More will follow.

Police stations are proposing to be closed, and in Darwen, the police station front desk is set for closure.

Jake Berry said before the last General Election there was a ‘crime wave’ in Darwen.

He said ‘the fight-back starts with getting more police officers back on to the streets’. (Action for Rossendale & Darwen, Issue 6).

Maybe he can explain how wasting millions on police commissioner elections that hardly anyone wants, whilst cutting our police budget by 20 per cent, will achieve his aim?

Why doesn’t he support our police force ?

Councillor Dave Smith.