Gillian Radcliffe is standing as an Independent candidate to be the Police and Crime Commissioner for South Yorkshire. If you are intending to stand to be Police and Crime Commissioner where you live, you can submit your own Candidate Statement, so get in touch at Editor@TopOfTheCops.com. Others are on the way, and we are looking for 400 words, and a photo of you to which you have rights.

I care deeply about safe communities and fighting crime. I believe the UK enjoys the best police service in the world but there are many challenges in terms of workload and budgets. It believe my substantial experience and qualifications in policing, communications and management of organisations, would be major assets in the role of Police and Crime Commissioner. Much of my career has been devoted to bringing the police, their partners and local people closer together and I continue to be committed to that ambition. My style is open, consultative and fair.

I served as communications lead on the senior management team in South Yorkshire – later being on the management team of Lancashire Constabulary – and I’ve worked as an adviser to detectives and uniformed staff on hundreds of major police operations, from murder investigations and riots through to major sporting events and civil emergencies. I’ve been involved in the management side too, from managing multi-million-pound budgets, large teams and complex projects to work on planning and performance management.

I understand how things work, from the boardroom to the streets. I know enough to be fair about what is realistic and achievable, but also enough to grasp the detail so I can’t easily have the wool pulled over my eyes. I would see my role as a partner and critical friend of South Yorkshire Police and the other agencies who have a role to play in protecting local communities.

I am a truly independent candidate, motivated by a deep commitment to criminal justice and to efficiency and integrity in our public services. I have no political affiliations in this election. I think it would be potentially damaging to use the Commissioner role to play party politics. It needs someone who comes without scores to settle, without partisan agendas to push and who can focus on the local issues and manage competently.

I’ve worked with local authorities, the judiciary, probation and prison services, drug treatments agencies, the health service and other emergency services, as well as local business and voluntary organisations. Because of this, I understand the importance of co-operation and contractual partnerships to deliver the best services to the public. I would want to focus a lot of effort on developing these partnerships in South Yorkshire, looking for ways to push resources to frontline services by exploring shared services for backroom functions.

Through my consultancy work, I’ve gained a solid understanding of the way Government departments work, particularly the Home Office. I’ve helped plan major crime reduction projects across England and Wales and I have given advice to senior colleagues up to ministerial level.

The role feels like an opportunity to bring together my experience of policing, management, communications, partnerships and public consultation in a way that will be of value to the people of South Yorkshire. I hope they will support me and give me the opportunity to serve them for the next four years.

gillianradcliffe4pcc.com