Devon & Cornwall Police Commissioner to be quizzed

Front line workers in crime prevention and community safety across Devon and Cornwall will quiz candidates for the new Police and Crime Commissioner post in a special debate at Exeter University tonight.

For the first time, ahead of the elections on November 15th, the candidates for the new role will face an audience of voluntary and community sector workers who deliver vital community safety services as well as working with offenders and victims of crime. They include Victim Support, Devon Rape Crisis, The Princes Trust, Devon Senior Voice, Keychange Charity, Street Pastors and Community Action. Representatives of statutory agencies involved in criminal justice and community safety will also be among the audience.

The event at Exeter University has been organised by the Safer Future Communities network in Devon and Cornwall In conjunction with Victim Support in Devon and Cornwall.

Safer Future Communities is a newly formed Home Office-funded group which has been established to influence the PCC and provide a closer link between people working with offenders and community safety issues and the new PCC. Victim Support works across the country meeting the needs of victims of crime and witnesses.

Key features of the debate are expected to centre around reducing reoffending, addressing violence against women and girls, substance misuse, work with young people and support for victims of crime.

Sarah Carlsen, Manager of Devon Reform, the lead organisation for the Safer Future Communities network said; “Community groups and charities work day-in day-out at grassroots level, helping to directly tackle and reduce domestic violence, substance misuse, youth crime, anti-social behaviour and re-offending. This debate is an opportunity for us to tell it how it is and to see how the candidates respond.

“The people we deal with are often on the margins of society and frequently choose not to vote, yet their lives are tied very closely to the quality of the police service. We believe we have unique and priceless knowledge that the new Police Commissioner could not receive from anywhere else.

“The questions have been gathered from the Voluntary and Community Sector and via websites over the last few months. Candidates have had time to prepare their initial answers in order to ensure they research any facts and figures needed. But we very much hope the answers will trigger some lively debate and will show clearly how the candidates intend to work with us should they succeed in being elected.

“The Government has promised the new Police and Crime Commissioners will put communities back in the driving seat of policing. Here’s a great chance for the candidates to show us exactly how.”

Georgie Constable from Victim Support said: “We are very pleased to be participating in this event and enabling the voice of victims to be heard. Their experiences and concerns around crime and safety will be of great interest to the candidates.”

The elections will be held on Thursday 15th November and the new Police and Crime Commissioners will replace Police Authorities. They will be responsible for setting priorities for their police force, overseeing its budget and hiring the Chief Constable.

In a recent national poll of voluntary organisations and community groups by Safer Future Communities, three-quarters said it will be “critically” important for the elected Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) to work in partnership with local community organisations.

The candidates for the Devon and Cornwall Constabulary who have agreed to attend the event are:

Brian Blake – Liberal Democrat

Brian Greenslade – Independent

Graham Calderwood – Independent

Tony Hogg – Conservative

Ivan Jordan – Independent

William Morris – Independent

John Smith – Independent

Nicky Williams – Labour

The ‘invitation only’ event will be hosted by former BBC TV presenter Christopher Slade. Candidates will be given 10 minutes each from 6.15pm to outline their manifestos, followed by questions from the audience.

The Safer Future Communities Network for the South West Peninsula was launched on July 11th 2012. It is sponsored by the Home Office and its aim is to pull together the Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) into a dynamic and vibrant group that can influence the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) but also act as a channel for communication between the Third Sector and the PCC. The VCS are anticipating that with the appointment of the PCC there will be considerable changes to commissioning arrangements along with potential opportunities for the VCS.

The Safer Future Communities network consists of all the VCS groups that have a role to play in working with offenders and wider community safety issues. They are represented by Devon Reform www.devonreform.org ,Cornwall Voluntary Sector Forum www.cornwallvsf.org , Casap www.casap.org.uk , DACVS www.dacvs.org.uk and CVA Torbay www.torcom.org.uk