Since 2010, the numbers of full-time police officers across Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire has gone down. Crime and fear of crime is going through the roof in our cities, towns and villages. Councillor Matthew Relf believes that a new Mayor is uniquely positioned to lead from the front and use the position of Mayor to fight for more policing resources.
Currently, there are no plans to scrap the Police and Crime Commissioners for Derby and Derbyshire or Nottingham and Nottinghamshire. This is a self-serving move that is designed to keep Conservative politicians in office. Matthew will fight to scrap the 2 posts and give the power back to the Police that puts communities back at the heart of policing. A crime board will be set up to oversee and scrutinise the decisions of both Chief Constables.
“For far too long, our communities have been less safe due to party politics dominating crime and policing” said Matt. “Putting politics at the top of policing has been a failed experiment. It has not made one community across our region safer. People find the politics associated with a Police and Crime Commissioner confusing. I will put people before politics and as an Independent Mayor, I will ensure that any decisions about crime and policing will be made with community safety in mind and not votes.”