A NEW IDEA

Greymouth Evening Star, 17 July 1933, Page 6

A NEW IDEA

POLICE ELECT COMMISSIONERS ? This is the day of plebiscites (says the Brisbane “Courier”); The “Queensland Police Union Journal” suggests that that form of selection should be usdd in the appointment of the next Commissioner of Police—and that the voters should be all active and retired members of the force. “In view of the fact that the term of the present Commissioner of Police will expire within the next twelve months,” states the journal.in its latest issue, “we take this opportunity of suggesting to the Government, that, before , appointing his successor, an opportunity should be given to members of .the police to have a voice in the matter of selecting the new commissioner.”

The proposl, in brief, is that the Government should invite applications for the position .from -persons within the Commonwealth, who consider themselves eligible to hold it, and that on the close of applications the list of applicants with the necessary qualifications should be submitted to a plebiscite confined to all active and retired police within the State. “The proposal,” the journal proceeds, “vitally affects both the active and retired police, because the former are the persons chiefly affected in the official performance of police duties, and the retired men are vitally concerned, inasmuch aa the commissioner is one of the investment board, which controls their superannuation fund. The suggestion is not novel, and is quite democratic. Parliamentarians hre chosen for their job by the vote of the people, so why not get the same Parliamentarians to extend the principle to members of’the police?”