THE new commissioner who will oversee Lancashire’s police must be a ‘big figure for a big job’.

Policing minister Nick Herbert said the person who is elected in November to be publicly accountable for the county’s force needs to have ‘stature and experience’.

Speaking to the Lancashire Telegraph about the change to current police authority system, Mr Herbert accepted that he ‘didn’t expect members to be dancing in the streets’ about the abolishment of their committees.

He said: “But I’m grateful the focus is now on transition. parliament has spoken and the new elected police crime commission is going to happen.

“Local authorities will still have a role with the police and crime panels. They will still have a voice and be part of the checks and balance. And the commissioner will have staff.

“But the virtue is that one individual will be visible to the public and accountable for the police to the people who voted them in.

“We want people from all walks of life, other than councils or politics, to consider putting their names forward. People that do a different sort of job, run a large or organisation or successful company who have the ability to represent the people of Lancashire and hold the force to account.”

Critics of the system claim that a £5,000 deposit per candidate and the costs behind running an election campaign may exclude those without the backing of a political party.

But Mr Herbert argued that a serious independent figure does stand a chance as more and more people become aware of the impending shake-up of policing.

He added: “Crime is such an important issue in daily life. A crucial part of the role is to support the chief constable as they go about transforming and restructuring to save money, yet ensuring frontline policing is protected.”

Another accusation thrown at the commissioner role is whether one person can represent such a diverse county as Lancashire.

Mr Herbert responded: “One chief constable has to look after the whole force. And in London, the Mayor represented a huge diverse population, yet everyone knows who he is. Accountability is the strength of the system.”

Meanwhile, Ribble Valley businessman and councillor Kevin Horkin, 49, from Waddington, has become the first official candidate for the £85,000-a-year role.

He said: “As Lancashire’s Police and Crime Commissioner I would give people across the county a voice. Through me every community will have their say on policing, law and order and crime.”

Other names rumoured to be interested in the role include County Councillors Tim Ashton, Sam Chapman and LCC leader Geoff Driver.