Delivering a safer Cheshire: a record of action and a promise of more
John Dwyer writes:
When I was elected in 2012 I promised to do all I could to make Cheshire a safer place in which to live and work. I’m pleased to have the opportunity on Thursday 5th May to put my record to the people of Cheshire, Halton and Warrington for them to judge whether or not I’ve achieved my aims.
My pledge to local people remains simple – I want to make Cheshire the safest county in the country for its decent, hardworking, law-abiding citizens but I also want to make it the most hostile county in the country for those, relatively small in number, who are intent on committing crime.
A safe county, with low crime levels and strong communities, will attract businesses and jobs to our area, making Cheshire a desirable place in which to live and work. My vision is for the role of policing to become an integral part of the economic development and prosperity of our county to benefit us all.
The role of Police and Crime Commissioner matters. Police and Crime Commissioners:
- Have the power to hire and fire the Chief Constable;
- Set the budget for police and support staff;
- Determine police priorities in their ‘Police and Crime Plan.’
I’m proud that, under my leadership and thanks to the hard work and dedication of the Cheshire Constabulary officers, staff and volunteers, our local police force has been judged ‘Outstanding’ by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary. I’m determined to build on this ‘Top 3’ status for Cheshire in the years ahead.
With my background in policing and public service, including as Assistant Chief Constable for Cheshire, I will continue to use my skills to manage the multi-million pound budget and deliver the safest possible county for young and old alike.
My Plan for a safer Cheshire:
1. Continue to drive down crime with more visible police officers – 2,053 frontline police officers by March 2017;
2. Enhance community policing to ensure police officers and Police Community Support Officers are there when you need them, working in your communities;
3. Ensure every penny of taxpayers money is spent wisely by regularly and robustly reviewing the Constabulary’s business processes and expenditure;
4. Give officers the tools and technology they need to work visibly and more effectively in the community;
5. Bring more criminals to justice by solving more crimes, particularly burglary and domestic violence;
6. Develop support for victims through the newly commissioned Cheshire CARES service;
7. Strengthen the specialist investigation teams to tackle cyber-crime and child sexual exploitation;
8. Collaborate with other ‘blue light services,’ agencies, local authorities and partners to improve the criminal justice process for victims and making the best use of CCTV, public buildings and community patrols;
9. Enhance the Roads Policing Unit with technology to address speeding and careless driving and to reduce the number of people killed and seriously injured on our roads;
10. Strongly represent the policing needs of young people, who make up 25% of Cheshire’s population, by continuing to work with the Cheshire Youth Commission I established in 2016;
11. Extend the mental health triage scheme to cover the whole county, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to ensure persons suffering mental health issues are dealt with by appropriately qualified personnel;
12. Continue to invest in community and safety projects across Cheshire to help bring communities closer together.
You can read my full manifesto by clicking on the pdf below or this link: http://manifesto.johndwyer.org.uk/
