Lancashire's new crime commissioner accused over 'jobs for the boys' appointments

3:53pm Tuesday 8th January 2013 in East Lancashire Photograph of the Author By Peter Magill, Chief reporter

Police commissioner Clive Grunshaw and new appointments Saima Afzal, Amanda Webster and Bruce Jassi Police commissioner Clive Grunshaw and new appointments Saima Afzal, Amanda Webster and Bruce Jassi

LANCASHIRE’S new police and crime commissioner has refused to comment over ‘cronyism’ claims regarding the appointment of three assistants.

County council leader Coun Geoff Driver has said the recruitment process behind the £20,000 a year posts was ‘an absolute disgrace’.

But Clive Grunshaw, the new PCC, has remained silent over claims that the new posts represented ‘jobs for the boys’ – and how long the trio would remain ‘interim’ assistant commissioners.

Former Lancashire Police Authority chairman Bruce Jassi, his deputy Amanda Webster and Blackburn’s ex-independent member Saima Afzal are taking up the two-day-a-week ‘interim’ posts.

It was previously announced that Ibrahim Master, from Blackburn, would serve as Mr Grunshaw’s official deputy, on £30,000 per year.

Coun Driver, speaking at a full county council meeting, said that the appointment of the assistant police and crime commissioners was ‘an absolute shambles’.

“It just seems to be jobs for the boys,” he said.

And county councillor Sam Chapman, who runs the Top of the Cops website on police commissioners, said that the appointment of the assistant crime commissioners was not bound by the same rules as the deputy’s post. “There is no definition of how long these interim appointments are meant to last or what the procedure is to recruit someone permanently,” he added.

Mr Grunshaw has previously said that he would be operating a more streamlined operation – with a 16-strong team instead of the previous 28.

But he refused to comment when asked by the Lancashire Telegraph to clarify the nature of the ‘interim’ appointments.

Comments(11)

hasslem hasslem says...
4:04pm Tue 8 Jan 13

is this the guy who struggled with his expenses, or the other guy?

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peely says...
4:12pm Tue 8 Jan 13

Next thing we know the " assistants " will have. "Assistants " and on we go , never ending as though there is a bottomless pit of taxpayers money to waste. No doubt the whole gang of them will be on flexi time ,gold plated pensions and early retirements with golden handshakes all round and then we wonder why the country is broke !

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Excluded again says...
4:37pm Tue 8 Jan 13

The Police and Crime Commissioner process has been a dog's breakfast from the very beginning. An expensive shambles imposed on the police by the government at a time when the police are having to dismiss police officers and close police stations.

Mind you, we have been lucky in Lancashire that no real damage has been done to our police service by this botch job. In Avon the new PCC forced out a high performing Chief Constable on her first day in office.

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Honest John says...
4:53pm Tue 8 Jan 13

His roadshows are comming to the pendle area this week lets see how many turn up to voice their opinion to him. or will the whingers just sit on their backsides and whinge on here. as Dick Dastardly said , Mutley Doooooooo Something go tell the guy what you think

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hasslem hasslem says...
5:35pm Tue 8 Jan 13

Excluded again wrote:
The Police and Crime Commissioner process has been a dog's breakfast from the very beginning. An expensive shambles imposed on the police by the government at a time when the police are having to dismiss police officers and close police stations.

Mind you, we have been lucky in Lancashire that no real damage has been done to our police service by this botch job. In Avon the new PCC forced out a high performing Chief Constable on her first day in office.
just a quick related question

how are the crime figures these days? i recall you and your "partner in crime" (sic) were always saying how the crime figures were falling under successive labour governments

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Bill Chapman says...
5:42pm Tue 8 Jan 13

It is time for all the police and crime commissioners to lose their positions. Surely the government will want to get rid of these unnecessary and self-serving posts?

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Excluded again says...
8:39pm Tue 8 Jan 13

hasslem hasslem wrote:
Excluded again wrote:
The Police and Crime Commissioner process has been a dog's breakfast from the very beginning. An expensive shambles imposed on the police by the government at a time when the police are having to dismiss police officers and close police stations.

Mind you, we have been lucky in Lancashire that no real damage has been done to our police service by this botch job. In Avon the new PCC forced out a high performing Chief Constable on her first day in office.
just a quick related question

how are the crime figures these days? i recall you and your "partner in crime" (sic) were always saying how the crime figures were falling under successive labour governments
The British Crime Survey (the best measure we have as it is measured the same way each year by asking a sample of people about crime they have exprerienced) showed a further fall of 4% in 2011. This carried on the falling trend in numbers of crimes since around the yeaar 2000.

The next British Crime Survey figures are due out later this month. It will be interesting to see what they reveal.

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ste.g says...
9:30pm Tue 8 Jan 13

another sneaky move by the government to turn us into a totalitarian state

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Truth searcher says...
10:53pm Tue 8 Jan 13

Clearly looking after your mates time.
I know for a fact a deal was struck between dodgy master and crunshaw.

Master approached crunshaw promising him Asian votes if he got made deputy. They shook hands and that's exactly what happened.

Waste of tax payers money

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George.White.Bread says...
12:14am Wed 9 Jan 13

Truth searcher wrote:
Clearly looking after your mates time.
I know for a fact a deal was struck between dodgy master and crunshaw.

Master approached crunshaw promising him Asian votes if he got made deputy. They shook hands and that's exactly what happened.

Waste of tax payers money
That is an extremely serious accusation and if you have any evidence of this whatsoever I implore you take it to the Independent Police complaints commission.

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english rose 1 says...
1:44am Wed 9 Jan 13

George.White.Bread wrote:
Truth searcher wrote:
Clearly looking after your mates time.
I know for a fact a deal was struck between dodgy master and crunshaw.

Master approached crunshaw promising him Asian votes if he got made deputy. They shook hands and that's exactly what happened.

Waste of tax payers money
That is an extremely serious accusation and if you have any evidence of this whatsoever I implore you take it to the Independent Police complaints commission.
He has absolutely no evidence George. Mr Master had been a very long standing member of the former Police Authority. No-one I can think of would make a better deputy - he was a natural choice irrespective of the colour of his skin.
*
Truth searcher is simply trying to stir up the usual hatred. As you state - if he has evidence he should make a complaint. He won't.

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