This week will see local authority elections take place across much of the country, where people get the chance to vote for their elected representatives who will run the councils where they live. There are no local elections in Cornwall this year though, as our electoral cycle runs every four years, and in this case from 2021-2025.
What we do have this week, though, is an election to
determine who the Police and Crime Commissioner for Devon and Cornwall
Constabulary will be.
From the conversations and meetings I regularly hold, I know
how important policing is to many local people. We are fortunate to live in one
of the lowest crime areas in the UK, but I know we all want to see effectively
policing, keeping our streets safe and catching criminals and bringing them to
justice. Police and Crime Commissioners play an important role in providing the
democratic accountability for our police forces.
There are 39 police areas across England and Wales with a Police
and Crime Commissioner. Our area is Devon and Cornwall.
Police and Crime Commissioners are there to make sure that
the local police in their area are meeting the needs of the community. Police
and Crime Commissioners aim to cut crime and deliver an effective and efficient
police service within their police force area. They are elected by the public
to hold the police force to account on their behalf.
Police and Crime Commissioners:
·
make sure the police force budget is spent
effectively
·
appoint the chief constables of the local police
force
·
engage with the public and victims of crime to
help set police and crime plans
·
work closely with the local council and other
community organisations on these plans and projects
As you would probably expect, I will be voting for Alison
Hernandez, the Conservative Candidate, on Thursday. Alison has been a
formidable and effective Police and Crime Commissioner for Devon and Cornwall
since she was first elected in 2016, and during that time has successfully
brought about, amongst other things, the reopening of police station front desk
in St Austell and Newquay’s police stations, as well as overseeing the
successful recruitment of officers to a point where we now have more officers
serving in Devon and Cornwall than at any other time in the past, and also
joining me in championing the Tri Service Safety Officer role, which we are
leading on in Cornwall.
The Police and Crime Commissioner role is an important one,
and no matter how you vote, I would encourage people to vote in this election.
One thing you should be aware of when voting on Thursday are
the new rules around Vote ID.
Voters at polling stations must show photo ID before they
can vote. This also applies to a proxy voting on someone’s behalf.
Voter ID is designed to prevent impersonation, the crime of
pretending to be someone else when you vote. Voter ID will protect voters from
having their vote stolen.
As ever, if I can be of assistance on any matter, my office
is available for any constituents needing help, advice or guidance – tel: 01726
829379 or email: office@stevedouble.org.uk
