As well as voting for a new Tees Valley Mayor on Thursday, there will also be a vote for the role of Police and Crime Commissioner for the Tees Valley.
I thought I would contact the new Labour candidate Matt Storey to introduce himself and ask him why it was important we vote and basically what changes a vote for Matt Storey might bring.
Q: A lot of people ask why is it important to vote this week for Police and Crime Commissioner ?
MS: The PCC is a key role so that local people have a strong voice at Cleveland Police. It would be my job to listen to local people and communities and ensure that their concerns and issues are raised with the Police and that the force delivers a service that meets the needs of the people of Cleveland.
Q: What does your job entail and what difference can the role make to the community?
MS: The PCC sets the strategic direction and priorities of the Police force, but not direct control of operational matters. PCC’s have a lot of influence on community safety and partnership working to prevent crime and reoffending and can make a huge difference to local communities.
Q: Could you give us an idea of your background and what skills and experience you would bring to this role?
MS: I have been a local Councillor for 8 years and have managed the Parliamentary Office of Andy McDonald MP for 12 years. I was Leader of Middlesbrough Labour Group for 4 years and I have significant experience of policing and community safety from my work in local politics.
Q: Can your policies actually help reduce crime and perception of crime?
MS: I hope to be able to deliver more community policing with officers for every community in the Cleveland area. That way we can have named contacts for your local police officer and they can develop key links with local people and have that critical local intelligence of the issues that are faced in their patch. I think that my plan for a retail crime strategy that brings together local businesses, Police and Local Councils should help to ensure shopworkers are saCould you give us an idea of your background and what skills and experience you would bring to this role?fe at work and that we undermine serious, organised crime that is funded from the proceeds of retail crime. I want to work with partners in public health and Local Councils to develop strategies to tackle homelessness which can lead to crime and will make our communities safer.
Q: Will you be accountable to the public?
MS: I will engage with the public as much as possible. I am committed to attending any community councils or small groups of people who want to speak to me. The previous Labour PCC attended 700+ community meetings a year. I hope to do the same and hear directly from victims of crime, local charities, businesses and any organisation or group that I can help.
Q: How can you help people feel safer and more confident in their communities?
MS: hope that my plans for more community -based policing will do that. But it is a big job and won’t happen overnight. We need more resources and more police recruitment after losing 500 officers over the last 14 years. We a are still short of 2010 numbers of Police and we need a fairer financial settlement. All things I will be lobbying for and are more likely should we have a Labour government after the next General Election.
Q: As town centres have less shops and lower footfall people can feel less safe there. Is there anything you can do to break this vicious circle?
MS: There is already a lot of good work going on in our town centres. In Middlesbrough the Neighbourhood Action Partnerships are working well and are bringing together key partners and businesses but we need that Police presence on the street to keep people safe and until we have a change of government that will be a tough ask. But I will be a strong advocate for Cleveland pushing for that extra resource that we so desperately need.
Q: Will we see a difference on the street if you become Police and Crime Commissioner?
MS: I hope people will see a difference. I will work tirelessly for local people and I will make sure that your voice is heard at Cleveland Police. Tackling crime and ASB hasn’t been a priority for this government and that needs to change. I’ll make sure that I do all I can, with the resources at my disposal, to make a tangible difference to local communities.
I thought I would contact the new Labour candidate Matt Storey to introduce himself and ask him why it was important we vote and basically what changes a vote for Matt Storey might bring.
Q: A lot of people ask why is it important to vote this week for Police and Crime Commissioner ?
MS: The PCC is a key role so that local people have a strong voice at Cleveland Police. It would be my job to listen to local people and communities and ensure that their concerns and issues are raised with the Police and that the force delivers a service that meets the needs of the people of Cleveland.
Q: What does your job entail and what difference can the role make to the community?
MS: The PCC sets the strategic direction and priorities of the Police force, but not direct control of operational matters. PCC’s have a lot of influence on community safety and partnership working to prevent crime and reoffending and can make a huge difference to local communities.
Q: Could you give us an idea of your background and what skills and experience you would bring to this role?
MS: I have been a local Councillor for 8 years and have managed the Parliamentary Office of Andy McDonald MP for 12 years. I was Leader of Middlesbrough Labour Group for 4 years and I have significant experience of policing and community safety from my work in local politics.
Q: Can your policies actually help reduce crime and perception of crime?
MS: I hope to be able to deliver more community policing with officers for every community in the Cleveland area. That way we can have named contacts for your local police officer and they can develop key links with local people and have that critical local intelligence of the issues that are faced in their patch. I think that my plan for a retail crime strategy that brings together local businesses, Police and Local Councils should help to ensure shopworkers are saCould you give us an idea of your background and what skills and experience you would bring to this role?fe at work and that we undermine serious, organised crime that is funded from the proceeds of retail crime. I want to work with partners in public health and Local Councils to develop strategies to tackle homelessness which can lead to crime and will make our communities safer.
Q: Will you be accountable to the public?
MS: I will engage with the public as much as possible. I am committed to attending any community councils or small groups of people who want to speak to me. The previous Labour PCC attended 700+ community meetings a year. I hope to do the same and hear directly from victims of crime, local charities, businesses and any organisation or group that I can help.
Q: How can you help people feel safer and more confident in their communities?
MS: hope that my plans for more community -based policing will do that. But it is a big job and won’t happen overnight. We need more resources and more police recruitment after losing 500 officers over the last 14 years. We a are still short of 2010 numbers of Police and we need a fairer financial settlement. All things I will be lobbying for and are more likely should we have a Labour government after the next General Election.
Q: As town centres have less shops and lower footfall people can feel less safe there. Is there anything you can do to break this vicious circle?
MS: There is already a lot of good work going on in our town centres. In Middlesbrough the Neighbourhood Action Partnerships are working well and are bringing together key partners and businesses but we need that Police presence on the street to keep people safe and until we have a change of government that will be a tough ask. But I will be a strong advocate for Cleveland pushing for that extra resource that we so desperately need.
Q: Will we see a difference on the street if you become Police and Crime Commissioner?
MS: I hope people will see a difference. I will work tirelessly for local people and I will make sure that your voice is heard at Cleveland Police. Tackling crime and ASB hasn’t been a priority for this government and that needs to change. I’ll make sure that I do all I can, with the resources at my disposal, to make a tangible difference to local communities.
