SIR Terry Pratchett, my favourite philosopher, once wrote that when a process is called “transparent” it can either mean you can see clearly what it is, or that you can’t see it at all.

Last week’s Journal report on the background of the three rival candidates contesting next month’s county election for the post of Police Commissioner made interesting reading.

But did anyone else who is apolitical share my sense of foreboding?

Give a single local politician the power to appoint or dismiss a chief constable, decide the force budget and set policing priorities?

It’s the sort of back-of-an-envelope idea you hear bandied around over late-night drinks at party conference hotels. In the cold light of day it’s not something you take seriously.

Certainly it cannot be convincingly presented as democratic local empowerment. But those of us who think this whole exercise is downright daft face a dilemma.

The Government fears that if too many people ignore the PC election, doubt will be cast on its legitimacy.

And in the absence of a box marked “none of the above” on the ballot paper my own first instinct was to protest by not voting.

But having seen what a disaster happened when so many of us didn’t register our opposition to the creation of a Unitary Authority (another misguided idea), I’ve had second thoughts. Ignoring the vote is not a sensible option.

There’s to be a public meeting later this month when we can meet and hear the candidates and judge for ourselves their strengths and weaknesses. Hopefully that meeting will be well-attended. It’s difficult to assess the trio on paper.

Only one of the three candidates profiled last week has served as a police officer and hence knows what “The Job” is really like.

The same person was a Samaritans Deputy Director – something that every Sam knows involves talking to the victims of appalling crimes. So those are plus points.

But if we must choose a Police Commissioner, we really need to know a lot more about the qualities and background of the person seeking to take over such a vital role.

And party politics shouldn’t come into it. That is transparently obvious.