IN response to Mr Backhouse (no-one is above political process, Letters, August 13), I agree the police need to be accountable, but not to any political figure.

That makes the police a tool of those that already have too much power and too little talent to govern.

Police are already held accountable by independent bodies and by the courts. The courts I’ve spoken critically of before, but it’s for the accountable politicians to write the rules they follow better, not to have judges being subject to a vote, lest we end up having the fate of the accused being decided by Pontius Pilate.

So in that sense I would disagree that nobody should be above the political process: it’s the law nobody should be above. Indirectly the police were already under control by the Home Office, IPCC and private citizens petitioning the courts.

Police and crime commissioners (PCCs) have effectively privatised the police, letting individuals select law enforcement based on what will generate the most revenue through fines, cutting cost-heavy investigations and looking for future expansion.

That’s why we see forces publicly endorsing popular organisations and opening social media accounts instead of beat patrols: it’s the marketing operation of the incumbent PCC to advertise themselves for re-election.

Dr Scott Marmion, Woodthorpe, York