I guess we are all going to be finding out exactly what the role of the pcc- it’s a new one and we are all treading on new snow
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- Anti-social Behaviour
- Secondly people wanted me to address the issue of violence
- Reducing crime
- Fourthly – I want to put victims
Thank you Peter - I have hugely enjoyed working with you on the Police Authority. I have learnt a lot from you as well as the other members of the Authority I chose today’s ceremony to be at the Station because it’s about community, about looking forward, about learning new skills, about mastering technology and above all, about being better together. This converted Fire Station is pretty much a metaphor for how I feel about this shiny new job I have as the Police and Crime Commissioner. Churchill famously said that democracy is the worst form of government except that all the others have been tried. Let me tell you having travelled around in the rain, stopped residents in the street, and encouraged shop keepers to display posters in their windows I can honestly tell you that Churchill was right. It’s been hard work but I thank the residents who did decide to vote in making their voice heard. All 125,000 of you. I’m delighted to be speaking you as the Avon and Somerset’s Police and Crime Commissioner. I am committed to the oath of impartiality I have just taken. Thank you Stephen McNamara You know I’m a real local, I don’t think you can more local than me. Born here, grew up here, married and raised my children here, director of the family business across Bristol and Somerset. I care about our communities. I suppose my two biggest stakeholders at the forefront of my mind are of course the residents but also the Constabulary. I have seen at first hand that they are hard-working, they are committed and brave people. My job is to work with them to develop a common vision of great policing and then help iron out the obstacles in delivering that so that together we can cut crime and make our communities safer – it’s good to confirm that there will be 24 new officers coming aboard in January and another 48 later in the year. I guess we are all going to be finding out exactly what the role of the PCC- it’s a new one and we are all treading on new snow. But my job is clearly to listen to all the voices, including the quiet ones to make sure that victims are at the heart of the criminal justice system and when needed to challenge the Chief Constable so that we can make the wisest decisions. I have had the privilege to meet, engage with and learn from a large number of highly committed voluntary sector organisations –and I am so pleased to see many of you here today. I very much want to work with you and ensure that what we do brings true value to the people of Avon and Somerset. Today I commit to set up an enabling fund of at least £200,000 to deliver community safety initiatives linked to my priorities which will be available from the New Year. One of the main reasons I feel that I am qualified to do this job on your behalf is that I am independent – you may have noticed – I mentioned it once or twice in my campaign. I believe passionately that policing is too important for politics and that this role should not be held by a politician. I want to work constructively with all people who can help to deliver improvements for the people of Avon and Somerset – regardless of their affiliations or background. PRIORITIES I was very clear throughout my campaign about what my priorities are. Crucially they must be tailored to all of the local areas and communities that make up Avon and Somerset; I am acutely aware that Avon and Somerset does not exist as a place and I want local communities to feel ownership and engagement with my priorities and plans and I want to hear from you I want a full mailbag, inbox, diary - because only together we can change things for the better. I can now announce today that the Police and Crime Plan that I am putting in place will not be a single plan – it will set out my vision for Avon and Somerset as a whole but there will also be individual plans, for each of the six districts. So Bristol will have its own police and crime plan for the first time but similarly so will South Gloucestershire, North Somerset, West Somerset, East Somerset and Bath and North East Somerset. I also want to have full engagement from the public, district commanders, officers, staff, partners and the voluntary and community sector to ensure that these plans are effective and meet your needs. I committed to spending at least a day a week in the communities listening to people and I am starting this on Friday when I will be visiting Taunton and Bridgwater speaking to local people and meeting the District Commander and key partners. As part of my commitment to engage with people I want to set up a volunteer panel to scrutinise stop and search issues and dip-sample complaints against the police and to review with me other areas of police business in a transparent way – I am looking for volunteers with relevant experience but most importantly who are passionate about improving conditions in Avon and Somerset. My four priorities have not changed I will target: Anti-social Behaviour – consistently, when I talked to people during the campaign, as I did many times – this is the issue they wanted me to address. I will set up a strategic task force to look at ASB across Avon and Somerset and develop with partners local plans for addressing this – I want to work with existing arrangements; with multi-agencies teams and also social housing but my absolute priority is helping the most vulnerable in society – if there are any areas in Avon and Somerset where people are scared to come forward and report threatening and abusive behaviour I want people to feel that they can come and approach me so I can work with police and partners to address this. Secondly people wanted me to address the issue of violence – where it affects anyone in Avon and Somerset but with a particular emphasis on violence towards women and girls. An awful lot of good work has been carried out in by the police, partners and voluntary agencies in this area and I am very proud of what you have achieved – I want to build on the best practice that already exists and apply it more consistently across the whole area including the rural areas. In particular I wish to take a holistic approach to the provision of independent sexual violence advisors across the force area to ensure best practice and consistency of approach – too frequently agencies have struggled to find funding from year to year and this has threatened the service provided to victims. I will discuss these plans with partners but plan to take this new approach from April next year. Reducing crime – again much good work has happened here and nationally in this area – I want to particularly focus on domestic and commercial burglary as from my discussions with residents this is a crime which has a really devastating impact. I will set up a business crime forum to work with businesses both to develop initiative to address business crime but also to involve them in other areas of this agenda where businesses and their engagement can have a positive effect such as the opportunity for offenders to find employment. In terms of domestic burglary I will want the force to continue to prioritise this area. I also want to work proactively with partners to address the effects of drugs and alcohol on crime generally and especially on burglary. Fourthly – I want to put victims and consideration of how they are treated at the heart of the criminal justice system. I will receive funding from the Government in 2014 to commission victim services. I will consult widely over the next few months on how to commission a holistic and effective service across Avon and Somerset. Again lots of good work already exists but I want to be the advocate of the victims throughout the whole process. I also look forward to working with the local Criminal Justice Board to ensure that they focus on victims and witnesses and the efficiency of the system. These are the four key priorities which I have consistently described during my campaign. I will appoint an ambassador from my office to work with the constabulary and partners to progress each of these areas. I do also want to talk about one further policy area, and that is young people, we are here today in a fantastic venue supporting young people, their creativities and their talent. My friend George Ferguson described eloquently on Monday how important young people are to this area and all of our futures – but also young people are more likely than any other age group to be a victim of crime. Their views are not always taken account of in the decision making process and I can announce that today I will have a Youth Ambassador in my office –someone who young people can engage with and work with my team to play an active role in the decision making process. Now, sadly I have to ruin this conversation by talking about money. The Government has to make cuts to public services to reduce the national debt – we all understand and accept that. However what I will not accept is the way we are more severely impacted than any other area in the country because of a complicated and unfair national funding formula which robs us of 23 million pounds a year we are assessed to need. I will continue to lobby on your behalf in particular I will fight any further cuts that are imposed on us against this background. I made it clear during my campaign that I would accept the government’s council tax grant next year and freeze the policing part of the council tax – I understand how difficult things are for people. However this position is unsustainable going forward. Police officer numbers have already fallen and one off freeze grants from Government is simply storing up problems for the future but I will fight on your behalf to protect our police service. With the level of support that I have received, higher than anywhere else in the country I know this means you have all put your faith in me and I will work hard with my team to deliver for you. The thing that excites me is the thing that unites all of us today- we all want to our residents to be safe and to feel safe. Keep talking to me, I am listening I am determined to make a real difference, I hope you are too. Thank you. 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