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It’s been a very busy first week in office for me, but it has been exciting to start work to repay the faith that the people of West Mercia have put in me, and delivering on the promises I made. It is a tremendous honour to have been elected as Police and Crime Commissioner. I will work hard to be a PCC you can trust and to deliver the results you have told me you want. I will base my decisions on solid evidence and make sure I am always accountable to the public.
There is a lot to do, but equally there are a lot of opportunities to make improvements which will benefit our communities, the police and other partner organisations. I am confident we will start to see some real progress quickly in some cases.
One of those opportunities is to improve the help provided to victims, and work has started to make that happen. I promised I would be on the side of victims, and that I would deliver a new Victim's Charter. This is being progressed and I will be asking for your input on this shortly to help make sure it will deliver the best possible results. Whether that is making sure the police keep victims updated on cases, or signpost to appropriate support services - we can make improvements in every area.
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My key priorities include:
Reforming West Mercia:
This is a big, long term job, but ultimately it will deliver a more effective, police service that represents better value for taxpayer’s money. Whether that means cutting back-office bureaucracy, or working closer with other public services I want to focus more resources on the frontline where they matter most. I also want to make sure our hard-working police force have the resources and procedures to do their vital work to the best of their capability, whilst being frugal with public money. I hope to freeze council tax next year if our financial projections don’t shift significantly.
A More Secure West Mercia:
I will make sure priority crime areas get the attention, resources and expertise they need. Whether that is emerging areas such as cyber crime, areas where demand is increasing such as domestic violence, or areas that have been issues for a long time and never properly been addressed – such as rural crime or business crime.
A Reassured West Mercia:
It is not enough for people just to be safe, they need to feel safe too, and I want to make that the case in West Mercia. This means doing more to tackle the issues that matter, whether that is speeding in our villages, anti-social behaviour in our towns, shoplifting from our businesses, or burglaries in our homes. I also want to address things such as slipping police response times, tackling the root causes of crime to prevent offences taking place, and offering more and better support to victims. It is important that we also look to the community and empower more people to get involved. Whether that is in local Speed Watch programmes or volunteering as a Special Constable there are a host of ways that we can help people take the lead in tackling local issues with the police in a supporting role.
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Before the election I promised to be a visible, engaging Commissioner who would use resources as efficiently as possible. I have started work to fulfil those pledges, by beginning the process of recruiting a Deputy PCC and four new Commissioner’s Ambassadors.
These posts will help ensure I can properly engage with communities and build relationships right across what is a very challenging geographic area, whilst simultaneously providing better value for money. The new Ambassador scheme alone will save around £30,000 each year compared to the previous structure.
For anyone interested in applying there is more information available on my website. As I promised, the recruitment process will be open and transparent throughout.
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With Chief Constable David Shaw
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I have also started the process of producing my Police and Crime Plan, which will set out my objectives for the next four years. Making sure that your opinions and priorities are at the very heart of that plan is vital. I will be starting a consultation on this soon and would welcome input on these from as many people as possible right across the West Mercia area.
I have met and spoken with so many people across all three counties over the last few months, and I know people want more in every sense from the PCC role. I promise I will work hard to understand your needs, be extremely efficient with your money, and start to deliver a safer West Mercia.
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The picture above was taken following the swearing in ceremony at Hindlip. I am very grateful to everybody who came to take part in it. Among the guests were left to right:
The High Sheriff of Worcestershire, Sir Nicholas Lechmere, David Harding JP, Chairman of the Bench for Worcestershire, David Shaw, Chief Constable of West Mercia Police, John Campion, West Mercia Police and Crime Commissioner, The Bishop of Worcester, the Right Rev. Dr John Inge, The High Sheriff of Shropshire, Mrs Christine Holmes, The High Sheriff of Herefordshire, Mr Bill Jackson.
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