West Midlands

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Statement of Persons Nominated

Matt Bennett – Conservative – Website – TopOfTheCops Candidate Statement

Bill Etheridge – UKIP – Website

Cath Hannon – Independent – Website

Bob Jones – Labour – Website – TopOfTheCops Candidate Statement

Ayoub Khan – Liberal Democrat – Website

Mike Rumble – Independent – Website – TopOfTheCops Candidate Statement

Derek Webley – Independent – Website – TopOfTheCops Candidate Statement

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Bob Jones, a Wolverhampton councillor who has been Chairman of the National Association of Police Authorities, is the Labour candidate. Here is Bob Jones’s Candidate Statement for TopOfTheCops, and you can see him here on Facebook He says this of his past attitude to Police and Crime Commissioners “I opposed the Tory led Government’s legislation to Americanise British policing as in the wrong hands the traditions of British policing could be seriously undermined.” And in the right hands? Michael Crick discloses that Cllr Jones is Campaigns Officer for the Campaign for Real Ale. Yvonne Mosquito, the Labour rival he trounced (1,580 to 827) on the postal ballot is now running as his Deputy.

Mike Olley, a colourful candidate who was a Labour Councillor in Birmingham before running the Broad Street Business Improvement District failed to be shortlisted by Labour. He had a slick website – www.mikeolley.co.uk – and an advertising poster campaign on selected key sites.

Former Birmingham Councillor Matt Bennett has been selected as the Conservative candidate after a number of selection meetings open to the public. Here is his Candidate Statement for TopOfTheCops. He has announced Walsall Councillor Mohammed Arif as his running mate for Deputy.

This was in preference to retired Police Inspector and Solihull Councillor Joe Tildesley, whose Candidate Statement was the most popular of all those on this site. He says he lost by just 10 votes.

For the Liberal Democrats Birmingham Councillor Ayoub Khan is the only person to publically declare, although it is unclear how this will sit with his party’s approach to the elections nationally. The Birmingham Post have his key policy aims “to cut response times, use volunteers and special constables to increase opening hours at police front desks and deal with the small number of prolific offenders and families who create the majority of problems.”

Ex-cops Ray Egan and Mike Rumble are mentioned as Independent candidates, and former Detective Superintendent Cath Hannon has launched her Independent campaign with this website, giving credence to the rumour I reported that a further candidate would come forward with a background in Community Safety.

Bill Etheridge is the UKIP Candidate.

West Midlands Police Authority have a new website covering the Police and Crime Commissioner, which joins the very comprehensive page about the Police and Crime Commissioner on their website, and Jonathan Jardine at the Authority has offered to be a contact point for anyone seeking information or briefings.

There are other places where opinions are being vented. You can even buy the ITN news coverage if you have a small fortune available.