BILL Longmore has issued a passionate defence of police and crime commissioners - and has taken a pop at politicians calling for them to be scrapped.

The £75,000-a-year elected head of West Mercia Police says if PCCs are axed by Labour it would be done "purely on political grounds" because the Conservatives brought them in.

He has also admitted that PCCs "have done some stupid things" but says "so have MPs".

Mr Longmore appeared before Worcestershire County Council on Thursday to take part in a Q&A.

As your Worcester News revealed yesterday, he caused furore by initially sitting on his hands and trying to get unelected deputy Barrie Sheldon to answer questions instead.

Labour has said that if the party wins the next General Election, it will scrap the roles.

Mr Longmore said: "One of the reasons I put myself forward for election was to keep politicians out of the police, that was my motive.

"I knew if I allowed politicians to get into policing, it would not be good for the country.

"I am not standing at the next election, not because I don't want to but because I want a bit of peace and quiet in my life.

"One or two PCCs have done some stupid things but so have MPs.

" And the work we've been able to do and relationships we've built between the police, public and communities could never have been done by having just chief constables.

"Most of the commissioners are doing a very good job - if PCCs were stopped it'd be done purely on political grounds, because the Conservatives brought it in and Labour wants to stop it."

He said one of the big mistakes made in 2012 was appointing PCCs after a round of November elections, which led to abysmal turnouts.

In some parts of the country it averaged 12 per cent and the role of PCCs has cost £100 million.

"The elections should have been held in June to tie in with other elections, it would have halved the costs but it didn't happen and there is no excuse for that," he said.

"But that can easily be put right. I still think it's a much better and cheaper way of governance than the old police authorities."

During the debate he also defended appointing his former police colleague Barrie Sheldon as his £50,000-a-year deputy, saying he had done "nothing illegal".

At the time the appointment led to claims of cronyism.

"My judgement has been exonerated by how good a deputy Barrie has proven to be, I could not have wished for a better one," he said.