Candidate Statement of Paul Richards

Posted on 24/05/2012 by samchapman

Paul Richards is on the shortlist for the Labour nomination to be the Police and Crime Commissioner in Sussex. 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, a photo (of you!) that you have rights to, and preferably an imprint, which will be needed for the formal election period later this year.



Labour’s candidate for police commissioner in Sussex has a simple job: to make the election a referendum on Theresa May’s 20% cuts to our police.

I marched with the police through London last month. Of course police officers are concerned about their pensions and job security. But they’re also deeply worried about the price communities will pay for the Coalition government’s cuts to front-line policing.

I’ve been travelling around Sussex listening to people’s concerns. My campaign reflects those conversations. These are my pledges:

  • Keep the police public: opposition to 20% cuts to policing in Sussex; no privatisation of core services.
  • Ring-fencing of the Victim Support budget for four years.
  • A continued focus on domestic violence and Hate Crime. I will protect the most vulnerable from the cuts.

I am proud of what Labour did in office: the shift to neighbourhood policing, the Respect Agenda to tackle anti-social behaviour, the introduction of police community support officers (PCSOs). Crime fell under Labour. As an adviser to the last government, I helped to develop these policies.

But as a community activist, I know that many people still live in fear of crime and disorder. ‘Neighbours from hell’ are not a figment of journalists’ imaginations. Anti-social behaviour genuinely blights the lives of thousands of people, especially on the forgotten estates. In this campaign I will speak up for the decent people who want stable, safe communities, and I will crack down hard on the people who refuse to play by the rules.

In Sussex, Conservative candidates are lining up for the job. Yet they represent ‘business as usual’. Ex-councillors. Ex-members of the old police authority. More politicians. Ministers said there’d be new and different candidates for commissioners. In Sussex, it’s just more of the same.

I have said that I would donate one third of the £80,000 commissioner salary to police and victims’ charities. I urge my opponents to make the same pledge. The commissioner should not be feather-bedded when police constables are risking their necks.

If the BNP stand a candidate in Sussex, they must be resisted. I will mobilise the trade unions, anti-racist campaigners, and all decent people who value our diverse communities, to fight the fascists.

My aim is to say to anyone who values their police, from Hove to Hastings, from Chichester to Crawley, in every Sussex town, city, suburb and village: vote Labour.

@labourpaul

 

Posted in Candidate Statements, Labour | Tagged , | 1 Comment

The Farm

Posted on 23/05/2012 by samchapman

Today was the day where I would have been keeping you up to date with the developments at the ACPO/APA conference day on PCCs, but it was not to be. Firstly ACPO and co. wanted £267 for me or any other would-be PCC to turn up today. They think we have money. By and large we don’t. Then after a slight kerfuffle that I may have been involved in, the price was reduced to £125. I didn’t find that convincing for something that was ‘mutually beneficial’, so I stayed away.

However, I had kept the day free in case ACPO finally saw sense, so we made good use of it by taking the kids to a nearby farm, where we all enjoyed ourselves, soaked up too much sun, and learnt about all the animals.

What I picked up while there, imperfectly, at a distance, and through the medium of my iPhone, was that some of the advice being handed out was about how police chiefs are not used to being involved in elections and needed to be very careful, particulary around treating candidates equally.

Which all seems a bit ironic, given that it would have been heard by…

…PCC candidates who are members of Police Authorities, who were using taxpayers’ money for them to attend and gain this insight on this important new role…

…a panelist chosen by their political party as a candidate, who attends for free…

…someone sent by their party as a panelist, even though that political party has not yet selected a candidate in their area, and who therefore has competitors both within and without, who attends for free…

…someone who picked themselves as a candidate, who attends for free…

… Never mind anyone who paid £267, anyone who paid £125, anyone who is currently a Chief Police Officer with a ‘cunning plan’ for a career change, anyone who accepted the places the LGA had for Independents (what about Independents who don’t associate with the LGA?), and of course excluding everyone who was a candidate who wouldn’t pay or play along.

Yes. Police chiefs were told how important it was to treat candidates equally at the very conference where they were failing to do just that.

Another thing I noted was that Bernard Hogan-Howe told police chiefs it was SUMO time – time for them to Shut Up and Move On on the topic of whether we should have PCCs. Personally, I think it was innappropriate for them to have ever done anything else.

We also learned two other important points:-

1) that Chief Constables are being advised not to have meetings with candidates. That certainly is the case in my own area, as can be seen here.

2) As Mick Thwaites put it “Good first session,#acpoconference,just told I am a nobody, until I hand over cash,and get 100 misguided individuals to sign my application!“

I must raise my hands and plead guilty here. I use the term ‘candidate’ on this site rather loosely, to refer to people who are trying to get their party’s nomination, to those who have succeeded and to those who say they want to run. But no-one is legally a candidate until they are nominated- with £5,000 and 100 signatures.

But if you put those 2 facts together, what is a Chief Constable to do?

If no-one is a candidate then there is no-one you have to treat equally – you can do what you want till mid-October, can’t you?

Or alternatively, almost everyone is a potential candidate, so if you are a Chief Constable who isn’t meeting candidates, then you can’t really meet anyone, lest they turn into a candidate in the next few months.

Welcome to ‘equality’. It isn’t fairness. It’s what currently and bizarrely passes for it in ‘PC’ world.

I’m thinking the farm was a better use of a day.

 

Posted in Perspectives | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Richard Hibbs is at today’s big conference

Posted on 22/05/2012 by samchapman

On the eve of the Great PCC Debate at ACPO, who is currently trying to do what to whom?

by Richard Hibbs, Independent Candidate for Police & Crime Commissioner in North Wales

The Local Government Association, as previously featured on TopOfTheCops, says it wants to give PCCs a strong voice via a new Police Executive Board, with a “prestigious leadership development programme” thrown into the bargain.

This rather misses the point of having PCCs in the first place, in at least two rather obvious ways:

Firstly, it is PCCs that are supposed to be the voice of the communities they represent, not a new committee in London. That is why we are having elections, and a key issue in North Wales where we are hoping to get our hands on proper devolved powers for once, not have to rely on a remote politician in Cardiff.

And secondly, candidates without existing well-developed leadership skills frankly need not apply. It’s simply not credible to expect an LGA trainer to instil the kind of charisma and prophetic vision that communities will come to expect from their elected representative on earth.

The LGA offer is taking shape fairly rapidly, so how come the design of their product still looks a bit suspect? Perhaps because LGA don’t yet fully appreciate that elected PCCs will at least 100 times as important as local councillors in constitutional terms (due to the size of the constituencies and their democratic mandate) and will therefore have a pretty loud voice which will carry all the way to Westminster anyway without amplification. Plus they’ll be able to say no to the Home Office if, in consultation with the Chief Constable, they don’t wish to “have regard to” aspects of the Strategic Policing Requirement they simply don’t believe in (whatever ACPO thinks!).

LGA could sensibly provide a platform for organisations who want to lobby PCCs to get their agenda into 41 Police and Crime Plans simultaneously, like Victim Support for example who are understandably anxious about how to get their message across (or indeed the Home Secretary, or even ACPO) but such a lobbying service would work in the opposite direction to the service LGA are promoting. If so, the LGA offer should probably be aimed at national stakeholder organisations rather than PCCs.

Meanwhile, ACPO are understandably keen to stress who they’d like to stay in charge and who they’d like to sideline after 15 November by running their Leading Change in Policing event this week in Manchester (the clue’s in the title). If they really wanted PCCs to take centre stage at their conference (or indeed after the election) the ‘invitations’ to talk about changes in policing would have been issued weeks and weeks ago.

Obviously belatedly offering 5 free places to PCC candidates via the LGA was a welcome concession, and a nice illustration of the lobbying principle I’ve set out above. The realisation had clearly dawned by the end of last week that charming PCC candidates into participating in tomorrow’s debate in order to impress the Home Secretary with a collegial approach might be a good idea. But too little and too late was the cry from candidates like myself who already have other commitments this week.

Instead I’ve been attending the World Federation Against Drugs conference in Stockholm – and I’ll be bringing back some fantastic drug enforcement policies in my suitcase. Which I will of course be very careful to pack myself.

Skol!

 

Posted in Independents, Perspectives | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

More Campaign Economics

Posted on 21/05/2012 by samchapman

Below are the agreed salaries for the new Police and Crime Commissioners. They have been set by a complex process which allows for, among other things, those areas with larger populations to offer larger remuneration.

And below you will also find the limit for election expenses for each candidate in each police area for the period immediately preceeding the election. This is mostly related to the number of electors in each area.

So, perhaps there is an economist living inside me somewhere, as I thought it would be interesting to divide the maximum election expenses by the salary on offer in each area. And I note that the result generated varies considerably, from election expense limits that are 1.1 times salary in Cleveland all the way up to 3.7 times salary in Thames Valley and the West Midlands.

I don’t know what it proves though – so thought I would leave that part up to you. Clearly the salary probably ranks fairly low in most candidates’ reasons for doing the job and I would not be surprised if most candidates spent nowhere near their election expenses limit, but it seems odd that the ratios would be so different.

I’m particularly interested in whether independents find the ratio for their area encouraging or depressing. I suppose it may establish that no-one in their right minds would do this for the money. As a point of comparison, my recollection of parliamentary elections is that they would generate numbers that are roughly 0.2 to 0.25 – radically different to the situation with PCCs. If we accept that election expenses limits are there to level out the playing field among candidates, this suggests to me that the size of electorates at this election allows a significantly less-even playing field among candidates from a purely financial perspective.

 

Posted in Resources | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Weekend Update – 20 May

Posted on 20/05/2012 by samchapman

There has been some movement on Conservative Candidates, funnilly enough in exactly the same week as I was officially told there wouldn’t be…

Out

Colonel Tim Collins, the man paraded at the last Conservative Party Conference as exactly the sort of candidate being looked for is a candidate no more. Having said a few months ago that it was a part-time job, no doubt because of his demanding other commitments, his departure was marked appropriately by him not being able to make all the dates for the selection procedure.

Michael Crick said “After Tim Collins’ withdrawal in Kent, + disappointments elsewhere, Tory plan to recruit lots of independent PCC candidates has failed badly“. Hmmm. That would be 5 months before nominations close, Michael. Perhaps a touch early to judge?

Steve Waight, Chairman of Sussex Police Auhority, along with a number of anonymous others, having survived the interview process at Conservative HQ, was not then added to the list of candidates to be interviewed locally, in what must rank as a very curious decision.

Meanwhile, in Thames Valley, Darren Jaundrill, who had been happily sparring with Labour’s shortlisted candidate Jon Harvey over Twitter, did not make it past the Conservative HQ interviews.

Jon Collins noted that “Jim Clark has pulled out of the race to be North Yorkshire PCC (though I didn’t know he was in it, to be honest)” reported here – neither did we. If you are going to keep quiet about an application, don’t go off in a huff at the end of the process. It kind of spoils the point.

ACPO – the Police Oracle report that ACPO are due to lose the 50% funding they get from the Home Office.

 

In

In Kent Councillor Craig MacKinley confirmed he was standing and pointed us to his website as proof.

In Devon and Cornwall, Paul Biddle, fresh back from Iraq but with a Civilian Service Medal (Afghanistan) to keep the MBE company, has let us know he has passed the Conservative HQ interview.

In Sussex, Paul Dendle and Anthony Kimber are definitely through to local interviews, and 4 others who so far are not saying. The interviews are due to cut the numbers down to 4 at the most.

Sir Clive Loader told us he was through to the final few for the Leicestershire selection.

 

In non-Conservative candidate news former Pembrokeshire council leader John Davies has decided to run in Dyfed-Powys, but he may do so as an Independent.

 

Finding the Time

Tim Collins moving on has brought up the issue of what other commitments people have, and what they’re doing with them. Take this Twitter exchange, largely between Humberside’s Keith Hunter and John Prescott’s son and campaign manager David. I think I’ve pieced it together in the right order.

Hunter: I will concentrate 100% of my time on local delivery as PCC. Building community strength &involvement. Something 4something in crim justice. In hustings yesterday John Prescott announced he wouldn’t give up House of Lords if he became PCC. Clear choice for members…. was vague on how long he would spend in London. It would be lucrative signing in there &getting PCC salary.

D. Prescott As @hesslelabour pointed out you shouldn’t denigrate other candidates. JP will be a full time PCC. Saying otherwise is wrong

Hunter he said himself he would still attend Lords. He don’t say how often. That isn’t denigration it’s simply what he said. I think it’s only fair if members know how much time would be in London & how much in Humber area. Question not denigration.

D. Prescott Your inference that it would be ‘highly lucrative’ to ‘sign in’ on top of a PCC salary is unfounded and quite nasty. So let’s be clear. JP will be a full time PCC who’ll only attend the Lords to speak up for Humberside Police & the public

Hunter not quite what I said but your Dad said he would still attend Lords. How can u be full time PCC if doing that also. but how often. Why so reticent and why can’t he communicate that clearly.

D. Prescott Spoken to JP. He will make a very clear statement responding to your tweets & being a full-time PCC at the next hustings

Hunter that should clear things up for everyone once it’s reported.

Then John Prescott deigns to make an appearance, in a tweet which curiously disappeared… But not before we got a screenshot…

 

Hunter let’s not get onto apologies John its clarity of intention members deserve nothing more. You haven’t been so far.

And it’s not just Humberside. I had a tip this week that a particular Lancashire Labour candidate had told a hustings meeting that he would be keeping his other roles in the event of winning the PCC election. A quick check with the other two candidates showed their position was that the job was full-time, and any other commitments that took time would be covered by family. On checking with the candidate in question he was clear that he had never made the comments in the first place, that the PCC was a full-time job, and if he got it he would only be wearing that one hat.

Imagine the Home Secretary had said it should be a “full-time job” – there would have been these types of scraps and stories somewhere in England and Wales every day, even after the election.

But it does leave us with the question of whether these hustings should be recorded?

 

Comment of the Week

When Labour’s Jon Harvey noted that his official candidate election expense limit in Thames Valley was £303,303, I said I hoped he’d been saving his pennies. He replied with “I have a suitcase of Drachmas under my bed just waiting for such an occasion…”

Maybe it was the simultaneous news that De La Rue were making contingency plans to print drachmas, and the background of the immanent general collapse of the European project, but I thought it was hilarious. You want better? Be funnier next week.

Posted in Selecting Candidates, Updates | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Tough on crime

Posted on 20/05/2012 by samchapman

You guys seem to like polling information, so I thought I’d give you some more. The Centreground poll mentioned a couple of days ago asked voters which qualities they would like to see in a Commissioner, and top of the list was a commitment to being tough on crime. But what does that mean?

Ask Tony Blair and he will tell you it’s about being tough on the causes of crime, by which he means a variety of social factors such as unemployment, deprivation, poor health, etc. Ask someone on the right of politics, like, er, me, and I might also say it’s about being tough on the causes of crime, by which I mean criminals.

But those who chase polls and focus groups will want to know what the public mean by “tough on crime”. So here’s some observations from every copper’s favorite Think-Tanker (if by favourite you mean would-most-like-to-meet-in-an-arresting-capacity) , Policy Exchange’s Blair Gibbs, who recently tweeted a series of observations from one of their YouGov polls this February, which you might otherwise have missed because the report was about the “geography of political opinion”, rather than specifically being focussed on crime.

He said “In our @YouGov poll in Feb, public agreed 3-to-1: “Criminals shld be given longer sentences, even if that means we have to build more jails“

and “Support was strongest amongst older people & those most likely to be victims – poorer people & those in social housing: ” and included a link to the Northern Lights part of the Policy Exchange website.

Then “The focus groups in Birmingham & Manchester found “a near universal view that both the criminal justice system & our society were too soft“.”

And “Participants felt for the #police – “They can’t do anything” in the face of general decline in morals/civility, authority & a rights culture“

Does that provide any clues? Can any political party claim to embody that attitude at the moment?

There seems to be a feeling in some quarters that such an approach is “populist” and that the political class should know better than to pander to these feelings, but maybe it goes beyond pandering. What politician doesn’t claim to be tough on crime? Will the public be able to tell the difference between those candidates for whom tough talk is a matter of convenience around election time, and those for whom it is a matter of conviction?

 

Posted in Perspectives | Tagged , | 11 Comments

Candidate Statement of Richard Davies

Posted on 18/05/2012 by samchapman

Richard Davies is seeking the Conservative nomination to be the Police and Crime Commissioner in Lincolnshire. 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. Others are on the way, and we are looking for 400 words, a photo of you that you have rights to, and preferably an imprint, which will be needed for the formal election period later this year.


Running a small business and being a member of the County Council has taught me to bring a critical and enquiring mind to bear in all my political and business dealings and this leads me to question and investigate any statements and opinions put before me. My experience dealing with Lincolnshire Police means that I have seen first hand how they operate and have the ability to push back and challenge ideas and decisions where appropriate. Having been born and raised in Lincolnshire I have a deep affinity and connection to public concerns in relation to criminality and this will drive me to set the policing priorities that matter.

At a time of squeezed family budgets, policing must be delivered at the lowest possible cost to the taxpayer; an ambition which can be achieved without
diminishing front line services. For example, if elected, I would
 share regional services with neighbouring authorities and utilise modern technology to make it easier for police officers to spend more time on the streets and less time in police stations filling in paperwork. This will reduce the amount of unnecessary paper work the police are regrettably saddled with at present.

My priorities are:

Visible Policing

  • Cop Shops – Establish contact points on every town High Street where members of the public can speak to Police Officers and PCSOs (Police Community Support Officers).
  • More PCSOs – Allow local district and parish councils along with resident groups to fund Police Community Support Officers.
  • Public Meetings – Across the county, hold regular forums with the Police and Crime Commissioner and Chief Constable (or deputy) to discuss local policing issues and concerns.


Prevent Crime

  • Targeting Known Criminals – More aggressive targeting of persistent offenders.
  • Ban Street Drinking – Work with local authorities to ban anti-social street drinking across town centres throughout Lincolnshire.
  • Late night anti-social behaviour – Reduce the drain on police resources caused by late night anti-social behaviour.
  • Scrap Metal Scheme – Push for mandatory spot checks for all scrap metal dealers.


Better Value for Money

  • Collaboration – Working with other police forces to drive down costs and improve policing in Lincolnshire.
  • Digital Policing – Better use of technology to eliminate unnecessary paperwork and keep officers on the street.
  • Partnerships – Taking the best support from industry to aid crime fighting in Lincolnshire.


I’m keen to hear from all corners of Lincolnshire so please take a moment to tell me your thoughts at www.votedavies.co.uk.


Posted in Candidate Statements, Conservatives | Tagged | Leave a comment

Poll Position

Posted on 17/05/2012 by samchapman

The Government has finally released the rules for the PCC election. The combined efforts of lawyer Ros Baston, Jon Collins from the Police Foundation and Crest Advisory managed to track them down and publish them for candidates to see. But here’s the deal. There’s 200+ pages, so it’s going to be a while before I wade through that lot, especially as the main points have already been complained about for a while. Instead, I will point you to the PCC Poll Patrol newsletter that Ros has helpfully prepared, and thank her for that work, and for inspiring the title of today’s post.

The poll I want to talk about is not the real one, but the opinion variety, specifically the ComRes poll published recently by Centreground Political Communications, an organisation which despite the name, was confused with the Labour party by one Independent candidate, apparently because of the people working there.

The poll headlined in the Guardian on Tuesday as it showed around 80% of voters know nothing about the elections, and this combines with low turnout in recent local elections to create worries about turnout in the PCC elections in November.

But that wasn’t the only stuff in the poll – so follow the links to find out more, or download it and work it out yourself, but here are some highlights:-

  • 26% of voters said they might vote for an Independent candidate.
  • This was 30% of Tories, 28% of LibDems and only 20% of Labour voters, suggesting better opportunities for right-of-centre Independents.
  • Voters were looking for candidates who were tough on crime, with experience of law-enforcement, and with innovative ideas, all of which were more important than a candidate’s party political independence.
  • Respondents thought Labour would be more likely to produce good candidates, than other parties.
  • The company concluded that the Conservative Party was particularly vulnerable to independent challenges and could not rely on its history as the party of law and order.
  • Independents could succeed, especially with older, wealthier and Conservative voters (editor’s note- isn’t that also the group most likely to actually turn out and vote?)
  • People are more ready to switch to an independent candidate than to a different political party.

 

Posted in Resources | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

The longed-for Update – Candidates

Posted on 16/05/2012 by samchapman

Since the last update a fortnight ago, a lot has happened, so today we are just looking at updates about candidate shortlists, and websites and videos the candidates have launched.

Labour

Avon and Somerset – John Savage and Bob Ashford have been shortlisted to be Labour’s PCC candidate.

Cleveland – Middlesborough Councillor Barry Coppinger (Campaign Website here) and Hartlepool councillor Jonathan Brash – no Sajaad Khan then?

Derbyshire – Alan Charles, Hardyal Dhindsa & Kathryn Salt are on the shortlist which means local crime expert Steve Spear has not been shortlisted.

Devon and Cornwall – Nicky Williams and Patrick Canavan.

Essex – Deputy Leader of Thurrock Council Val Morris-Cook and Chair of Colchester Labour Party Jordan Newell are on the shortlist.

Gloucestershire – Rupi Dhanda, wife of former MP and Minister Parmjit Dhanda, has been selected. (Campaign Video here)Once again, no postal ballot. The local report says “Phil Gaskin, Labour Party South West Regional Director, said:”Rupi Dhanda will be an excellent candidate. She’s not a politician and she’s not a former police officer.” What can Labour now say about their Humberside shortlist- a politician and a former police officer?

Gwent – Hamish Sandison and Josh Worrad are on a shortlist of two.

Humberside – The Labour race has narrowed to Lord Prescott (campaign video/website here) and Keith Hunter (campaign video here) as former-MP Ian Cawsey bowed out for a new job. Prescott has opted for a Nationbuilder website, a system first designed for American elections that integrates fundraising and campaign management. It has clearly drawn the attention of other candidates, leading to a slight squabble as to what was said, and where it was said.

Lancashire – the list remains the same, but Ibby Master has put a range of videos on his website.

Suffolk – former Chief Exec of the Suffolk Council for Racial Equality Jane Basham and former Chief Superintendent Tim Beach were first listed as being on the shortlist, with promises of a postal ballot, and then Jane Basham was declared as the candidate, with not a mention of Mr Beach. What happened there then? Therese Coffey MP expressed surprise, and Ms Basham queried after the cause of the surprise, only to be told that Ms Coffey thought they would have chosen the copper. Doesn’t look like there was a choice.

Wiltshire – Unite union official Clare Moody is the candidate in Wiltshire..

Conservatives

Cambridgeshire – Steve Count is seeking the Conservative nomination.

Devon and Cornwall – Alison Hernandez is definitely seeking the nomination while Will Mumford is “actively considering” it.

Hertfordshire – Richard Stratton is applying. See his Candidate Statement yesterday.

Kent – County Councillor Bryan Sweetland joins a race for a nomination (also here) formerly thought to be there for Tim Collins to take, but where former Gravesham MP Jacques Arnold is reportedly also being considered.

Lancashire – Sam Chapman (yes, me) launched his campaign with the Sam4Lancs.com campaign website, and a ConservativeHome article on what Police and Crime Commissioners are not that drew favourable review from a number of sources, including this from Dan Hannan MEP.

Warwickshire – The Police Foundation have been told that Warwick councillor Clare Sawdon is “on the shortlist” for the Conservative nomination.

 

Others

Michael Felse confirms that he will stand for PCC in Greater Manchester. He has recently stood as the English Democrats candidate for Mayor of Salford, so there’s a good chance he will stand for them, although his political allegiances have been quite mobile in the past.

Rick Moore has pulled out of the race to be Leicestershire’s PCC, saying an independent has “no chance”.

Jon Collins reports that his former NACRO colleague Mervyn Barrett is considering running as an independent candidate in Lincolnshire.

Tony Johnson has said he will run as Alliance Party GB candidate for PCC in Lancashire.

Having previously decided not to, the Liberal Democrats may now run a PCC candidate in Devon & Cornwall. This chopping and changing of decisions has been branded ‘a dog’s breakfast‘

 

And finally

Slight confusion or disarming honesty about a sign on a train.

 

Posted in Updates | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Candidate Statement of Richard Stratton

Posted on 15/05/2012 by samchapman

Richard Stratton is seeking the Conservative nomination to be the Police and Crime Commissioner in Hertfordshire. 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. Others are on the way, and we are looking for 400 words, a photo of you that you have rights to, and preferably an imprint, which will be needed for the formal election period later this year.

Two years ago I would never have considered writing this, my candidate’s statement for a political post. The catalyst was the publication of the government’s Policing in the 21st Century consultation paper in July 2010. Obvious reform opportunities, such as voluntary force mergers, were pushed off the table and the role of Police & Crime Commissioner was introduced. Over the following year I considered the implications of the Bill and specifically the introduction of PCCs. Are police authorities sufficiently visible? Are they meeting the needs of their communities? Are the public aware of the current governance arrangements for the police? Are they satisfied with how they are represented? My conclusion to all of these thoughts was no.

On reaching this conclusion I thought that if the old guard were not doing what was required then the PCC role had to be driven forward by someone entirely new. I have had no previous interest in a political role. I therefore consider myself to be “untainted” and free of political influence.

My experience in all aspects of policing from delivering change and operational improvement through to strategic design and transformation gives me excellent credentials. I have worked with over half of the police forces in England and Wales and by regularly working with the officers and staff of my local force, Hertfordshire Constabulary, I understand it well.

What I bring to the role is a clear understanding of the challenge and the will and energy to ensure that the job is completed to the very highest standards. Although Hertfordshire Constabulary has an excellent record in fighting crime and brining offenders to justice and has put in place realistic plans to reduce costs and close the budget gap there are always opportunities for improvement. I will continue to reinforce the links between the force and the people they protect. I will work closely with the county’s communities and meet with them regularly to listen to their problems and with them devise solutions for the police to implement. I will ensure that justice is seen to be delivered so that the victims and communities affected by crime and disorder can take small comfort in seeing punishment dispensed to those who deserve it and so that potential criminals are dissuaded from committing crime.

I have many hurdles to clear before my name is put on the ballet paper for November’s elections but I am confident in my ability to deliver what is required. I will be updating my campaign blog (http://strattonforhertspcc.wordpress.com/) on a regular basis and I can be contacted directly by email (strattonforhertspcc@live.co.uk), on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/StrattonForHertsPcc) or on Twitter (@RichStratton).

 

Posted in Candidate Statements, Conservatives | Tagged | 1 Comment