THE race to become Suffolk’s first directly-elected police and crime commissioner (PCC) should become clearer tomorrow once the Tory candidate for the role has been selected.

There are three in the running to be the Tories’ standard bearer in November’s election.

District council leaders Ray Herring and Tim Passmore will be battling with former county councillor and district council officer David Card.

The candidate will be chosen on Saturday at an open hustings session. Anyone who is on the electoral roll in Suffolk was able to register until earlier this week, not just Conservative Party members.

The Conservative candidate will be up against Labour nominee Jane Basham and any independent candidates who come forward to stand.

The Liberal Democrats are not putting up a candidate in this election – they believe the post should be non-political – and will be urging their supporters to back any independent candidate they feel happy with.

So far, however, no independent candidates have declared themselves in Suffolk.

Anyone wishing to stand for the post would need to post a �5,000 deposit and receive the nomination of 100 voters in the county.

The PCC in Suffolk will be paid �70,000 a year and will replace the police authority as the body responsible for setting policing policy in the county.

One thing all those taking part agree on is that it could be a struggle to get out the voters for an election on November 15 – especially if the weather is poor.

The campaign to elect the county’s police and crime commissioner is now set to start in earnest.