‘Policing not politics’ says PCC candidate

Honesty, integrity, openness and fairness.

These are the principles that have stood by me and underlined the last 26 years of my policing career. I am a 59-year-old recently retired police officer, a family man who has lived in Bristol since 1990. 

I have worked for 26 years serving the residents of Avon and Somerset as a police officer in many roles. In the autumn of 2009 I was elected as chairman of Avon and Somerset Police Federation, being responsible for the welfare and wellbeing and conditions of service of the police officers up to and including the rank of Chief Inspector.

I have been fiercely proud of the independent role of the police officer and have always been passionate about Avon and Somerset Constabulary and its ability to deliver the best possible service to the residents of the area.

I have never been aligned to politics and I never want to be, hence I am standing as an independent in the next Police and Crime Commissioner elections on 5th May.

Without a doubt, over the last few years, Avon and Somerset Constabulary has gone through what can only be described as a ‘torrid’ time.

You will all be aware of the many negative headlines that have caused reputational damage to the force, the fact that we have had six Chief Constables since 2012, whether substantive or temporary, the force have gone from being one of the top five respected forces in the country to a force where moral has been to rock bottom from within.

I want to change that to be the person that can rebuild that reputation and service delivery in partnership with the new Chief Constable Andy Marsh. 

Over the last five years, under the current Tory government we have had budget cuts of £60 million and there is more to come over the next few years, your local force has lost nearly 700 police officers due to the comprehensive spending reviews and budget cuts, 700 police officers, just imagine how those Officers could fill the gap, to deliver the best service possible to you, the residents. I want to put you the communities back as one of the top of priorities.

I have seen read the HMIC report that says investigation requires improvement, that protecting from harm those who are vulnerable and supporting victims requires improvement, let’s resolve this and get thing back to where they should be. Don’t get me wrong, I know good work has been going on but we need to build on this, the needs of the victim are paramount. Victims need to be at the heart of the criminal justice system.

If elected as Police and Crime Commissioner, I want to review how the current budgets are spent, where they are spent as I believe the Force have cut too deep in the wrong departments, on the front line, in the protect teams that deals with domestic and child abuse,  the specialist departments that directly service you.

I believe better use of shared services, collaborations, alliances will free up the staff, and re-invest in police officers, PCSO’s or police staff to be the visible face of policing, but I will not privatise policing. 

I do want to reverse the loss of 700 cops, I do want to put more ‘bobbies on the beat’, I want to be the Police an Crime Commissioner that finds a way year on year throughout the elected period to increase the number of cops. 

Policing should be in the heart of the community, this is where it all starts, as Robert Peel said: “ The police are the public and the public are the police.” There should be that ability for you, the public, the residents of Avon and Somerset to have that ability to speak face to face with someone from the constabulary.

So, I ask the question, why are many of the police posts located in buildings, shared accommodation with no visible signs that it is a police station and why are so many of these locations without public access, this has to change.

Keeping you, the residents of Avon and Somerset safe is the core business, and it is a business we have to get right. Whether it is a matter of assessing threat, harm and risk, dealing with the traditional burglaries, anti-social behaviour, offences against the person or the more modern day child sex exploitation, modern slavery or cyber crime we have to get this right. 

So I say, vote independent, vote for Kevin Phillips as your next Police and Crime Commissioner.