NEXT week, voters across Swindon and Wiltshire will go to the polls to decide who will be the Police and Crime Commissioner for the region.

There are four candidates standing in our region, one each for the Conservatives, Labour, Liberal Democrats and UKIP.

The role of commissioner was introduced by the coalition government in November 2012 with 41 PCCs elected across England and Wales with responsibility for a combined force area budget of £8 billion.

The role of the PCCs is to be the voice of the people and to hold the chief constables and the force to account.

Their aim is to cut crime and deliver an effective and efficient police service within their force area.

The winner of next week’s election will be responsible for setting out the priorities for Wiltshire Police over the next four years.

They will also decide how resources are spent and will set the police elements of people’s council tax bill.

It is possible whoever is given the role will also be given some responsibility over their local fire service – although this has been complicated locally following the recent creation of Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue which means several commissioners now cover this service.

Turnout across the country for the first elections was very low, with just 15 per cent of the electorate turning out for the Wiltshire and Swindon election.

However, now people are more familiar with the role and the fact the local elections are being held in Swindon at the same time, it is hoped the turnout this year will be higher.

For the the future, the Government is currently looking to expand the role of the commissioner.

Find statements below from the four candidates, in alphabetical order.

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Ready to keep serving after busy few years

ANGUS MACPHERSON (CONSERVATIVE)

IT has been a busy few years. The first part was spent establishing an office and the administration and the relationships with local authorities, organisations, health and so forth, which are very good.

The tax payer saves 16 per cent in cost efficiency over the authority that was replaced, which is very useful.

The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald:

Angus Macpherson

Our Horizon victim and witness care is proving to be effective and I have made a commitment that the police and crime element of council tax will remain the lowest in the south west.

We have a good rating in all areas by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary.

Many of the things we have started and built have not yet come to fruition but we have strong foundations to build on.

It is a positive thing that the gap is narrowing between [crime figures and the amount of reported crime] the two as it shows a greater confidence in policing.

Crime has not gone up and you can see that through the independently done British Crime survey.

The trouble with this recent report by Churchill showing that we have the worst rate of solving burglary and robbery in England and Wales at 8.3 per cent is that it is done by an insurance company for a purpose.

They are in business to market insurance and HMIC are not.

It will not be against Wiltshire but in terms of their marketing strategy.

What is important to recognise is that Wiltshire is one of the safest places in the country to live and work.

And this is testament to the hard work of the chief constable and his team and the dedication of our front line officers.

I also pledge to tackle the increasing risk of cyber-crime, strengthen neighbourhood teams, where police and staff work together in policing Wiltshire and protecting neighbourhood policing by shifting resources to the front line.

Moreover, I will try to increase the funding allocated to the Wiltshire police force from the Government.

I am very passionate about this and it means an awful lot to me, not only because it takes up 60 hours of my time a week.

But we are going in the right direction. For more information, visit wiltshire-pcc.gov.uk/Document-Library/Police-and-Crime-Plan/PCC-plan-final.pdf

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Aid work past will be useful in building community spirit

DR BRIAN MATHEW (LIB DEM)

FOR the last 25 years, Dr Mathew, 55, has been an aid worker across some of the poorest places on the planet, working for Water Aid, CARE, World Vision and British Aid programmes in Southern Africa. He has lived in Yatton Keynell since 2006.

The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald: Dr Brian Mathew

Dr Brian Mathew

He says: My aid work was all about building communities, resilience, empowerment and solidarity.

This policing job is about community and providing a public service. I am drawn to public service, be it overseas or here at home. I love my country and I want to do the best I can for it.

I conducted a survey and most people do not know if the Neighbourhood Watch is working any more.

I want to make Neighbourhood and Farm Watch a central part of happy and healthy communities so people look out for each other, and 75 per cent of respondents said they would get involved.

If you have the lowest crime solving rates in the country then there is obviously something wrong, 8.3 per cent is dreadful but for a turn around to happen, change needs to happen.

I think the problem with the PCC role is a problem is a lack of visibility.

A turn out of under 16 per cent in the 2012 PCC elections is ridiculous and embarrassingly low. I have written to the electoral commission to complain and the cabinet office too.

The information needs to put be out there and it is not. Albert Einstein said the definition of insanity is to do the same thing over again and expect different outcomes.

That is what they did last time with the PCC and that is what they are going to do this time.

I absolutely love campaigning for this, it is hugely exciting and I believe I can make a difference.

For more information visit brianmathew.focusteam.org.uk

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Vow to take fight to criminals with increased street policing

JOHN SHORT (UKIP)

DURING my many years with Swindon Borough Council I learnt how to deliver a quality front-line public service. That meant managing a workforce of more than 3,500 people and working with a budget of more than £65m.

During my four-year term as the Wiltshire Police And Crime Commissioner, I want Wiltshire Police to take the fight to the criminals, by increasing street policing and cutting bureaucracy and waste.

The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald: ElectionsModule Candidate photo

John Short

I pledge to:

1. Increase front line warranted police officers by 150 through a PCSO recruitment freeze and by driving savings in back office costs through a reduction in bureaucracy and smarter procurement.

2. Double the number of Special Constables by working in partnership with local companies to release staff for training and operations that will protect Wiltshire people and businesses.

3. Fund community-based police officers in new Police Houses by working with developers and the local community to return true local policing to rural and urban areas.

4. Facilitate a new Offender To Work Scheme in partnership with the courts, Probation Service, councils and local employers that will set young offenders to work for the local community whilst providing them with training, qualifications and skills for a life of employment, not a life of crime.

5. Give local people a say on local policing priorities – I will answer to the people of Wiltshire – not Whitehall bureaucrats, by ensuring that Wiltshire Police address the crime priorities of local people.

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Honesty, integrity, openness and transparency promised

KEVIN SMALL (LABOUR)

MY track record: I have been a local councillor for 27 years serving on both Wiltshire County and Swindon Borough Councils, which gives me a good understanding of the needs of rural and urban Wiltshire.

I have lived and worked in Wiltshire all my life, and served on the former Wiltshire Police Authority.

The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald:

Kevin Small

As leader of Swindon BC I worked closely with the police authority and senior constabulary officers, also while as chairman of the Wiltshire Ambulance Service, as we sought closer working between the emergency services and the creation of a joint 999 call centre.

My Vision For Policing in Wiltshire: Honesty, integrity, openness, and transparency will be my guiding principles as Wiltshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner. I will hold the chief constable and the Wiltshire Constabulary to account, ensuing that the diverse needs and views of Wiltshire residents are fully represented.

As a Labour Police Commissioner I will:

  • Create an environment where people feel safe, whether at home or out in their local community.
  • Seek to promote Neighbourhood Policing Teams to ensure that Wiltshire Police has a visible presence in every village or neighbourhood and Neighbourhood Policing Teams are seen as part of the local community.
  • Tackle Anti-Social Behaviour and perceived ASB activity. like working with other agencies and community groups, to find alternative activities for our young people so hanging around on street corners is not their only outdoor recreational option.
  • Work with councils and other public bodies to create opportunities to establish better, more cost-effective ways of delivery services.
  • Create strong community links through the Wiltshire’s area boards, parish councils and community groups, to enable a wider public input into the formulation of future policing plans.