Nigel Bonson is the Conservative Party Candidate for South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner.
Nigel Bonson has spent his entire working life within the criminal justice system. He is currently an independent member of the Parole Board ensuring public safety is a priority when making decisions regarding a prisoner’s release. Nigel was a police officer with Greater Manchester Police for 30 years attaining the rank of Chief Inspector and latterly responsible for Criminal Justice Partnerships in Salford.
After a very successful police career where he specialised in community policing, partnership working, crime reduction and domestic violence, Nigel moved to become an Associate Trainer with The National Police Improvement Agency. Nigel also worked as a Neighbourhood Renewal Advisor supporting local partnerships in the delivery of regeneration and crime reduction working under contract to the then Labour government.
Nigel has completed secondments to both regional and national government including Home Office Safer Cities Co-ordinator, managing the Regional Crime Reduction Team at a regional government office, and working on generating crime and disorder reduction activity across many regional programmes. He has regularly briefed ministers on these activities and drafted speeches on their behalf.
Nigel has extensive experience of gun and gang culture which we have seen all too tragically in recent weeks and represents a continued threat to our communities. He has considerable experience of working in deprived areas with correspondingly high crime levels including Labour heartland estates. He has international policing experience, including tough areas like New York and Philadelphia where he worked to share best practice between U.K police forces and their American counterparts. On behalf of the British Government he visited Chicago to work with the Mayor and others to explore policing and housing policies.
Nigel Bonson has the courage to take the difficult decisions which will be necessary in the role of Police and Crime Commissioner. Unlike his opponents however, he has real experience of the role of a police officer and this gives him the means and the credibility to create effective working relationships with officers, officials and partners. Critically he says, he has the necessary insight to tackle inefficient working practices on the behalf of South Yorkshire people.
Nigel says, “Contemporary negative press surrounding the police does highlight a need for us to recognise and challenge mistakes but they should not be allowed to shackle our force. We must work to ensure that officers are able to achieve maximum efficiency in reducing crime whilst ensuring public confidence and pride in South Yorkshire Police.”
“The role of Police and Crime Commissioner is not party political. I will be signing an oath of impartiality which guarantees that I will not be influenced by Government, the Opposition parties or the unions. We must not play politics with public safety. That is immoral. That’s not British policing. This is a unique and special opportunity to improve our police force on behalf of the people it serves; not a stick for political parties to beat each other with and must never be used to interfere with the Chief Constable’s operational control. I will, of course, fight for budgets that allow the police force to be of maximum effect in reducing crime. In return I will expect the police force to deliver on that.”
“Many candidates talk of returning officers to “front line policing”. These are empty words unless you have the ability to identify exactly what that front line is and the bravery to say what it is not. I have the skills and experience to work with the public, the police and their partners to identify and prioritise exactly where our resources are most needed and I have the courage to take decisions which make sure they get there.”
“My aim will be giving safety back to the public by giving strength back to the Force. Tackling Crime Together.”
TopOfTheCops.com 
You say that “The role of Police and Crime Commissioner is not party political”. Please can you explain why you are running on a party political ticket? Surely, the only logical extension of your statement would be to run as an independent candidate?
Yours intrigued…
Whilst I don’t believe this role is or should be political, and I think to suggest it is misses the point entirely, I do have Conservative values. I stood as a candidate at the last election and would have automatically been seen as a Conservative in any event, whether independent or not. This is however, a position where an oath is signed that I will not be influenced by any political party. I will be true to that. I guarantee it…. Nigel Bonson.
But you are prepared to take Conservative Party money and party activists’ time to support your “not party political” campaign?
Someone once said that rationalisations are better than sex, because could you imagine going a whole week with a rationalisation?!
Come on Mr Bonson, you are trying to have you cake and eat it. Either you are a party political candidate or you are not. You cannot claim to be both. Your position is no different from a party politically elected MP – who then promise (and do) to serve all of their constituents. The Oath is there to ensure that all elected PCCs act for all of their communities not just the ones who elected them.The Oath is not a shield to hide your party affiliations and support behind.
You could have easily run on an independent ticket if you had resigned your party and stood – just like Stephen Betts has done in Norfolk. He has even had to resign the party whip as a councillor too. Whilst Mr Betts and I disagree on many things, I suspect, he had least had the integrity to run on non party political ticket (admittedly after failing to get the Tory nomination).
You are not the only one:-
The strongest finding in the poll reveals the depth of concern at the fact many, if not most, candidates are likely to be standing under the banner of, or with some financial support from, a political party: 61 per cent of those polled disapprove of candidates being supported by a political party, with disapproval rising to 74 per cent amongst those 60 and over. Only 11 per cent showed approval of party political support, with 19 per cent of those polled neither approving nor disapproving and 8 per cent saying they did not know.
http://www.rusi.org/news/ref:N506DFE0DF3F56/#.UG6enHm8AUV
good luck
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The statement reads like one of those website trying to make you believe you can sit on your arse at home and make loads of money. What are this man’s real motives and objectives? His statement stinks of political promise dodging. Can anyone pick out one thing he is actually going to do? Any commitments to anything at all?
My girlfiend and I are abstaining the vote. Only today after searching the web have I discovered the names of the candidates. Have none of them bothered campaigning? I still do not know what any of them actually intend to do if they get in.
Let’s just hope they are as hamstrung as the real politians, i.e. incapable of any meaningful changes, so not a lot will happen and nothing will change in the long term.
Good luck bringing back faith in South Yorkshire’s Police force. That is a genuine sentiment.
P.S. I believe the worst person for this job is either an ex-police office or a politian. Pity as the only independants are either rich or mental (i.e. UKIP).