Why You Should Vote In The Police Crime Commissioner Elections

 Why You Should Vote In The Police Crime Commissioner Elections

Chances are you will be unaware that the PCC elections are happening this Thursday (NOVEMBER 15^th) in this blog I will be focusing on my local Humberside elections but the reasons to vote are the same all over the country.  This blog will cover:

•          Why You Should Vote
•          The duties and powers of a Police Crime Commissioner
•          How to vote/ The Voting System
•          The Humberside candidates

Why You Should Vote

One of the big reasons to vote is because it gives you a voice on how you want your local community to be policed each candidate has something different planned for your local area some may want more or less speed cameras, some may be intending to put more bobbies on the beat, each candidate will offer something different.  It is a certain thing you won’t want one or two to be running your local police force and there will be at least one you think can get the job done, the only way to get your man or woman into the job is get out and vote.  Another reason to vote is that the Police Crime Commissioners will be powerful individuals many pundits are saying that people won’t realise how important these elections actually are until the chance to vote has passed people by, of course you can vote next time round but the damage will have been done, so it really is worth taking the time to learn about the candidates and casting your vote. 

 The duties and powers of a Police Crime Commissioner

Here are some of the main powers and duties of the new Police Commissioners:

•          Holding the chief constable to account for the delivery of the force.
•          Setting and updating a police and crime plan
•          Setting the force budget and precept
•          Regularly engaging with the public and communities
•          Appointing, and where necessary dismissing, the chief constable

It is important to note that although the new PCC’s will not be in control of police operations the police is not being politicised. (This basically means who is arrested and how investigations work will not become political decisions.)

How to vote/ The Voting system

Polling stations open at 0700 and will close at 2200 on the 15^th of November, the voting system being used for these elections is the Supplementary voting system.  Your ballot paper will have the candidates name followed by two boxes like the one above.  In this election you can vote for two candidates a first choice and a second choice candidate or you can vote for just one. Voting is simple firstly read your ballot paper carefully as it may be slightly different from the one above but you will then put a X in the 1^st choice box next to your first choice candidate and then another X in the 2^nd choice box next to your second choice candidate.  You can vote for just one candidate by X the 1^st choice box only but you can’t vote for one candidate twice.

To work out the results all the ballots will be counted and if the candidate with the most votes happens to have over 50% of the vote they win.  If no candidate has 50% of the vote then the top two candidates will be carried forward to a second round and all the other candidates are eliminated.  Ballots who have a 1^st choice vote was for an eliminated candidate will their votes redistributed among the remaining candidates based and the second choice (obviously if the 1^st and second choice votes were for candidates who were eliminated in the first round the vote won’t be redistributed) The candidate with the most votes after the second round wins (General elections have a much simpler system) 

The Humberside Candidates

In Humberside 7 candidates are standing one for each of the major parties one for UKIP and 3 independents.  So let’s take a look at The Candidates.

John Prescott – Labour

John is a seasoned politician and was Tony Blair’s Deputy Prime Minister he was the MP for Hull East for 40 years between 1970 and 2010 so has a great knowledge of the local area. Below is John’s Election Statement:
I am proud to have been part of a Government that cut crime across the Humberside Police force area by 43%. We did it by introducing community policing, PCSOs, CCTV cameras and ASBOs and by being tough on crime and tough on the causes of crime.

But all that is at risk from the Coalition Government cutting the police budget by 20%. It means Humberside Police, which has the fourth highest number of recorded crimes in England and Wales, is proposing to axe 440 police officers at twice the rate of any other force in England and Wales.

I passionately oppose this and any attempt to privatise the police. That’s why we need an alternative plan that will make you feel safer, keep bobbies on the beat, be smarter with our resources and allow you to set our policing priorities.

If elected, my focus as your full-time commissioner will be to cut anti-social behaviour, tackle rural crime, stop drug users re-offending, clamp down on binge drinking and offer more support for victims of crime.

I will extend community payback schemes to make criminals repay their debt with you setting the punishments and introduce a People’s Police and Crime Commission to give you a greater say in how we tackle crime and tour the region holding police surgeries.

I will also create better partnerships between the people, police, local authorities, voluntary bodies, neighbourhood watch groups and other agencies to beat crime.

This election isn’t about the candidates. It’s about you and keeping you safe. Vote for me and I’ll always put you and beating crime, first.

Matthew Grove – Conservative 

Matthew is a business man who runs a successful nationwide business, he also serves as a local Councillor and has faced local challenges such as the 2007 floods. He also reached cabinet level at council level he was the Minister for Highways and emergency planning.
Below is Matthew’s election statement:
I have one priority – to cut crime. I will challenge head on the cycle of re-offending, supporting tougher community sentences so justice is seen to be done and will always put victims ahead of criminals.

I will free our police officers from unnecessary bureaucracy and targets so they can fight crime not fill forms. I will recruit more Special Constables to be deployed directly in to our communities and look to maintain numbers of PCSOs.

We must take the fight to the criminals, not just deal with the aftermath. We know who the habitual criminals are. We must target them instead of allowing them to target the innocent.

For those whose drunken, anti-social behaviour blights our streets at night I will be looking to charge them for the cost of the police time spent dealing with them. 

I will support effective rehabilitation and the fantastic work of those who help offenders re-join society. Continuing a life of crime can no longer be the easy option. We should help offenders who want to turn their lives around and not tolerate those who choose to make other people’s lives a misery.

Preventing crime and re-offending works when all the related services join together alongside our communities, so that offenders don’t fall through the gaps that can exist.  I will ensure there are no hiding places for criminals.  I will protect investment in projects which have a proven success rate but will not waste money on rewarding criminals.

I will be the Police and Crime Commissioner for the whole area, a strong, local, independent-minded voice serving all residents and working closely with the public, chief constable, police officers and other organisations to make our neighbourhoods safer.

Simone Butterworth – Lib Dem

Simone is a long time Humberside resident with a history of volunteering work for organisations such as the Dove House Hospice and Aids Action.  Simone has also served as a local Councillor for over 15 years. 

Below is her election statement:

Dear resident,

Vote for me – and my first act will be to cut my own salary.

Too many politicians are out of touch with people like you and me. They just don’t understand the problems we face on a daily basis.

The idea that Humberside’s new elected “Police Commissioner” should be paid £75,000 a year is outrageous – especially when there’s so little money to go round at the moment.

That’s why my first act as your new Police Commissioner will be to cut that salary – and use the money that’s saved to support charities that help victims of crime instead.

The winner of this election will have huge power over local policing – so your vote really matters.

I’m determined to run a positive campaign. I want to make sure local people’s views are listened to. I will push for more crime prevention and more support for victims of crime.

Fifteen years as a local councillor has taught me how to get things done. My extensive network of contacts will enable me to really hit the ground running.

At a time when there’s precious little money to go round, I will make sure the Police’s resources are focused on visible, front-line policing and supporting victims of crime.

Our local Police should be accountable and independent – with no political interference in day-to-day policing. The wrong person getting the Commissioner job could be a disaster.

I won’t make this job about party-political point scoring. Local policing is too important for that.

Above all, I want local Policing to be accountable to you – listening, responding to local problems, and keeping local communities safe.

With best wishes,
Simone Butterworth

Godfrey Bloom – UKIP

Godfrey has lived in the area for over 30 years he has worked at senior management level for 35 years in the financial industry for 35 years as well as 30 years in the TA.  Godfrey was also elected as a UKIP representative to the European parliament in 2004 and was re-elected in 2009.  

Godfrey’s election statement is below:

The Police and Crime Commissioner post is new, so there is much learning to be done.  It requires a proven understanding of, and ability to run significant budgets.  Humberside is £180 million.  There is a requirement to manage and lead at a very senior level.  It is essential to prioritise with rising crime and reducing resources.  This is no easy task. 

Every candidate must be examined in detail before the electorate vote. The wrong choice could be disastrous.  I offer 35 years in the private sector managing people and budgets at very senior level.  Experience of being part of a uniformed team of men and women, 30 years in the Territorial Army with experience of logistics at Armoured Divisional level.  I am also a graduate of the Royal College of Defence Studies and therefore trained in strategic analysis.  I have political experience of 8 years, though proud to say I am not a professional politician of whom there are far too many already! 

I will use the role as a platform for lobbying government for a realistic sentencing policy as well as reducing speed cameras as a source of revenue.  I also have plans to put rural and property crime higher up the list of priorities than it appears to be at the moment.  I do not accept some academics’ view that burglary is ‘low harm’.

My running mate, Mike Speakman was a very senior policeman for 30 years including a period as Deputy Chief Constable in Humberside.  In short we have the most experienced management team for this office in the country. 

I am old fashioned, victim orientated and anti political correctness. If you are a villain, I’m not your man!

Paul Davison – Independent

No candidate has the level of understanding Paul has about the Humberside police force, he retired this year after 30 years as a Chief Superintendent in charge of policing in the East Riding.  If you are looking for a candidate who has knowledge of how the police work Paul is your man. Also before writing this blog I asked all the candidates on twitter why you should vote for them? Paul was the only one who got back to me and here is what he said - @Glenn_Shooter you can trust me, I am competent to do the job. I will make a big difference to local communities. U could call me anytime.

Paul’s election statement below:

I am standing as an independent candidate because I believe that I possess the passion, skill and determination to make local communities across Humberside the safest in the country.

Using knowledge and expertise gained over thirty years I achieved this for people living in the East Riding of Yorkshire when I was in charge of policing. The challenge will be to do the same in Hull, North East Lincolnshire and North Lincolnshire, against a background of reduced resources. This can be done. Accordingly, I would set out an ambitious but achievable 5 year plan for the Chief Constable to deliver on your behalf. The plan would be shaped by your views. From talking to people across Humberside, this will inevitably include more officers on patrol, reducing neighbourhood crime and anti-social behaviour and keeping police stations open and accessible.

My role will be to fight for you and make sure that the police and key partners responsible for keeping you safe put you at the heart of everything they do. I would be available for you to contact me directly should you need help or advice. I want you to receive a service from the police that exceeds your expectations and I would hold the Chief Constable to account to make sure this happens.

It would be an honour and a privilege to be your elected Police and Crime Commissioner. I would always act in your best interests and bring integrity, professionalism and competence to this unique role. The 15 November 2012 must be remembered as the date when British policing became more accountable to you and therefore changed for the better.

Walter Sweeney – Independent

Walter is a former Conservative MP for the Vale of Glamorgan, he has also worked as a solicitor so has a solid knowledge of our country’s legal system as well as all this Walter has also served as a chairman of a police authority (who do a similar job to what the Police Crime commissioners will be doing).

Below is Walters Election Statement:

“SWEENEY TODD, FLYING SQUAD”

            Your PCC should ideally be knowledgeable about policing, independent of any political party and independent of the police. I tick all these boxes. I studied law and politics at Hull University and then Criminology at Cambridge where I did research on police management. I am a solicitor currently practising with a leading firm in Hull and for many years, specialized in both prosecuting and defending in the courts. I served as acting chairman of Bedfordshire Police Authority. While I was M.P. for the Vale of Glamorgan, I acted as an unpaid adviser to Michael Howard Q.C. and served on the Home Affairs Select Committee. I successfully campaigned for better pay and conditions for the police and for the introduction of CCTV to reduce town centre crime. I campaigned in Parliament for fully compatible IT systems to be introduced in every police force (which if implemented would have avoided the Soham murders) and tabled a private member’s bill to give improved rights to victims of burglaries to defend themselves.

         We all need and deserve better protection from criminal behaviour. I will work with you to achieve this.

If elected, I will:

1. Give full support to our police, local government, the legal profession, the probation service and charities involved in the fight to reduce crime and improve detection and conviction rates;
2. Help the victims of crime; 
3. Help divert criminals from a life of crime;
4. Strive to achieve improved value for money;
5. Build better relations between police and public, to reduce crime and increase safety;
6. Work full time to represent YOUR interests in cutting crime, wherever you live, whatever your politics and whoever you are.

Neil Eyre - Independent  

Neil is a former Solider serving in the Royal Signals, Neil has spent most of his civilian career as a project manager.  Neil also ran unsuccessfully in the last council ward elections although he did beat the Conservative candidate:

Neil’s does not have an election statement but I have found his vision of the Humberside Police under him:

Basic common sense dictates that the police can’t protect and serve all the people all the time so where ever possible we should look to replace the role of the police with community actions. These community actions should be wholly voluntary and wholly peaceful. We want our police service chasing after real criminals that have committed real crimes against real people. We want the police to protect us as much as possible whether it’s by reducing paperwork and having them walking the streets or meeting up at community centers with local people. We want a police service that has the appearance of ‘getting the job done’ not just statistics that get manipulated into giving the public the falsity that everything is OK. The police are there to protect and serve. I think serve is the most important aspect. The police are not there to tell people what to do. They are not there to run people’s lives or dictate to people how to behave. They are there to provide a service.