Police and Crime Commissioner Forum Wed 3rd December

Sue Mountstevens our Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) will be holding her next public forum on Wednesday, December 3rd from 1845 - 2100 at The Shire Way Community Centre, Yate, Bristol, BS37 8YS.

It's a chance for you to hear from North East's Area Commander Chief Superintendent Caroline Peters, and to ask any questions to the PCC, C/Supt Peters and other senior police officers.

If you would like to attend please register here , email pcc@avonandsomerset.pnn.police.uk or call 01275 816377 so they can ensure a seat is reserved for you.

If you have questions please email them ahead of the event. This will enable the PCC and senior police officers to bring the relevant information to the meeting and give those who cannot attend an opportunity to have an input.

You can also tweet your questions to @AandSPCC using the hashtag #YPCCYV.

It's Police and Crime Commissioner election week!

Pete Levy is the Lib Dem candidate for the Police and Crime Commissioner role

The whole of our area has an election on Thursday for the new post of Police and Crime Commissioner. The new Commissioner will cover the whole of the Avon and Somerset police area, so it's going to be an important job. A lot of people are asking what the PCC will do, so here are a few key points:

What are the objectives for the new Commissioner?

The PCC is supposed to bring a public voice to policing and hold our police force to account for delivering the kind of policing you want to see. Their aim will be to cut crime and to ensure your police force is effective.

What will the PCC actually do?

• engaging with the public and victims of crime to help set police and crime plans
• ensuring the police force budget is spent where it matters most
• appointing, and where necessary dismissing, the chief constable.

So this is a key appointment. If we elect the wrong candidate, we could find our local police services cut drastically.

What are our choices?

Lib Dem candidate Pete Levy has served in both the civilian and military police and has been a member of the Police Authority for several years, so he's got lots of relevant experience. He has pledged to keep police services rather than cut them - you can read all about his proposals on his blog.

You get two votes, a first and a second preference, so naturally we suggest that you give Pete Levy your first preference vote.

There are three other choices - Conservative, Labour and Independent. You can read about the various candidates here - but there's one key difference between them. The Conservative candidate has a record of cutting funding for police services - in Somerset he chopped the council funding for PCSOs, the Police Community Support Officers who provide much of our local police front line. So please don't even give the Conservatives your second preference.

KEEP OUR LOCAL POLICE SERVICES - 
VOTE FOR PETE LEVY

Safer Streets with Pete Levy

Former Police Officer and Bristol City Councillor Pete Levy has launched his campaign to become the first elected Police Commissioner for Bristol, Avon and Somerset.

Pete is a leading member of the Police Authority and is a former Police and Military Police Officer. He will use this experience to deliver safer streets here in South Gloucestershire. His priorities include:

• Protecting frontline police services
• Effective community sentencing that cuts reoffending and delivers a benefit for local people
• Better support for victims of crime

You can find out more about Pete on his website.

His main opponent is the former Conservative Leader of Somerset County Council. Somerset councillor Sam Crabb said, “Our police are too important to put in the hands of a man who cut funding for Police Community Support Officers and who tried to close vital local services like libraries.”