Lancashire’s Chief Constable Steve Finnigan has expressed his concern about only one person overseeing policing in the county when the Police Authority is abolished, according to the BBC.
He said: “To ask an individual to cover [this] patch is asking a lot.” and added, “I have some reservations how a single individual can have the resilience, the energy and be able spread themselves thin enough to be able to really understand in different parts of this county what the complex issues are around policing and community safety,” he said.
Which is an odd point to make, because presumably he thinks that he manages to do these things.
Maybe you need the right background to be able to pull it off.
TopOfTheCops.com 
I have to say Sam – this thought has been occurring to me of late – especially with people saying that it is wrong to invest too much power in one person – unless that person is a Chief Constable (or CEO, or COO or whatever…)
However, I am very sympathetic to idea though that there is a lot to cover and the new PCCs will need support – with many extra eyes and ears on the ground and simply to read documents emerging from the Home Office etc. Quite how much support they gather to themselves will of course be highly contentious as the accusation will be made that the money should be spent on front line policing instead.
So, in my mind, some shrewd judgements will need to made. It is also about the relationship between the PCC and the PCP. I hope that these relationships will be collaborative ones rather than ones of point scoring scrutineering. On this basis, I hope that the PCPs do seek to support their PCC rather than look to out-manoeuvre her/him by playing extended games of ‘gotcha’.
Indeed, this will also be crucially about the relationship between the PCC and the Chief / Chief’s team as well. How much will that relationship be one of partnership or not…?
How did we get to here…?