Hampshire police and crime commissioner election candidates for Labour, Liberal Democrats and Conservatives

And whoever becomes the next Hampshire’s police and crime commissioner will be charged with holding the county’s chief constable to account.

The election that decides who will win the job is expected to take place in May next year, following a 12-month delay due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Current incumbent, former Gosport borough councillor Michael Lane, was deselected by the Conservatives in Hampshire after a tumultuous few years in which he faced intense scrutiny. He will not run in the election.

All three major parties in Hampshire have now declared who will stand for election.

Mr Lane’s candidature has been replaced by former Portsmouth City Council leader Donna Jones, the authority’s opposition Tory group leader and Hilsea ward councillor.

The Liberal Democrats have chosen Richard Murphy, 51, a dad-of-two who lives in Winchester with his wife.

Social worker and former probation officer dad-of-one Tony Bunday is Labour’s candidate.

Both Mr Bunday and Mr Murphy say policing has been treated badly in the last 10 years under the austerity programme, led by the Tory and Lib Dem government in 2010 and the Tories alone since 2015.

Cllr Jones said she is committed to increasing the number of officers on the streets, a pledge in line with the government’s national uplift programme.

Whoever wins will be in charge of a more than £300m budget - but will also face a projected £16.5m deficit by 2023/24.

They will be taking decisions on where to pour funding – not just into policing but in crime prevention through charities working in criminal justice.

Public scrutiny will be intense, and MPs and councillors will lobby the person in the job for their areas.

Incumbent Mr Lane faced extra scrutiny and lost a no-confidence vote held by Hampshire Police Federation.

If she is successful, Cllr Jones said she will resign as a magistrate where she sits in the criminal courts in the city.

She said: ‘I’ve lived in the city all my life. I know the people, the culture and what makes local people tick.

‘For the last 15 years I’ve served Portsmouth as both a magistrate and a city councillor and in that time I have worked with crime prevention partners and the local police.

‘If elected I am committed to: increasing the number of police on our streets, increasing the visibility of police officers, and driving down crime including thefts, break-ins and anti-social behaviour as well as serious crime.’

Speaking to The News, former actuary Mr Murphy said there was a ‘lot of expertise’ in Hampshire police.

He said: ‘I’m someone who will go out, listen to people and understand the needs within the police, and support the needs within the police.’

Mr Murphy is also focused on ‘stopping crime before it happens’ by boosting early intervention schemes and ‘working with the local community’.

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‘We’ve got a vicious circle at the moment where overstretched police are struggling to deal with crime,’ he said.

‘If we don’t make changes we will reap the damage of that over the next decade.’

In the past dad-of-two Mr Murphy, who is married to a Winchester city councillor, has briefed ministers on other matters and is confident in operating at a level requiring him to liaise with the government.

Southampton-based Mr Bunday said he is not a politician but has a ‘broad base of expertise’ having worked in health, social care and the justice system for 44 years.

He wants ‘fair, effective and accountable policing’ and said more is needed to protect women and repair ‘often badly fractured’ trust of black, Asian and ethnic minorities.

Mr Bunday, whose son is a Southampton councillor, added: ‘The police are in the midst of a perfect storm at present.

‘Not only have they endured savage cuts in the last 10 years, while the complexity of their work has increased, but at the same time, so much of the public infrastructure that would have supported crime reduction has been savagely cut.’

Cannabis reform or decriminalisation?

THE drug trade breeds violence and misery across Hampshire.

But when it comes to cannabis there have been persistent calls to decriminalise it.

The News asked all three candidates what their view is on the class B drug.

Lib Dem Richard Murphy said: ‘Decriminalise for personal use but in a highly-regulated way and then using the freed-up resource to use the police more effectively elsewhere.’

Cllr Donna Jones, the Tory candidate said it was for MPs to set the law, and police to enforce it - but that she is against ‘any form of smoking’.

She added: ‘However the benefits that can be derived from the cannabis plant have now been proven.

‘The NHS now prescribe a form of CBD which is licensed in the UK. The most harmful part of cannabis is the mind-altering chemical THC which has framed the argument of a hemp resin being legalised with the THC chemical removed.

‘Supporters believe it would reduce the amount of people who develop psychosis from smoking the chemicals. It’s a matter for members of parliament and the police’s job to enforce the law.’

Labour’s Tony Bunday said overall drug policy ‘has not been effective for years and is full of hypocrisy’ with MPs having admitted to taking class A drugs.

He said he wants to see a root and branch review carried out by a commission into drug policy.

He said: ‘Drug supply is so lucrative that there will always be people to do this and our communities will continue to be blighted.

‘I am keen that we consider all options as part of a wider strategy based on an evidence based “what works” approach to reducing drug use and tackling organised crime.’

Hampshire’s first commissioner Simon Hayes in his own words

Being the first for anything is always a ground-breaking experience, being Hampshire’s first police commissioner was no exception.

Back in 2012 there was a great deal of public scepticism about the role of PCC in general and an understandable concern about an unknown individual who would arrive with an electoral mandate to influence policing and community safety across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

PCC is the leader of a team who will deliver for the public. Setting up the team from scratch was a challenge. So, personally I felt a strong responsibility to build trust and confidence, both within Hampshire Constabulary and across the wider community.

It’s a position that requires no previous experience or qualifications.

Because of the importance and responsibilities of the role, many argue this is wrong.

However, having held the office myself, it’s clear to me that to be most effective in grappling with the responsibilities, improve public safety and be successful as a police and crime commissioner, it’s vital to have a detailed understanding of the subject, in this case policing and community safety, before entering office to be effective in office.

It’s not a glorified councillor position, nor should it be seen as a stepping stone to parliament – it requires dedication, commitment, caring and time.

My background in criminal justice and previous links to community groups throughout the area certainly gave an understanding which helped build the trust necessary to lay foundations and create effective working relationships.

There’s an element of learning on the job, but the role is detailed, very varied, physically and mentally demanding and not one like any other I’d experienced in 25 years as a local councillor.

The sheer range of topics from a small community concerns, anti-social behaviour, domestic abuse to national protection and organised violent criminality demands a flexibility and intellectual ability that is constant and rightly challenging. It is a responsible role that becomes a lifestyle, not just a part-time activity.

For me this was the excitement and privilege of the role, the chance to bring together people, organisations and communities to create a better, safer and more harmonious quality of life.

Inevitably, you are a natural target for criticism from a wide range of people who, for whatever reason, feel dissatisfied with any, and every, aspect of policing or public service. Also, from activists, both party political and general lobbyists who wish to try to make a mark for themselves.

The complaints system which rightly exists to challenge wrong behaviour by those in public office, can and is also used maliciously to attempt to undermine credibility of individual police and crime commissioners. This is not only a personal distraction but a huge cost to the public purse - with no consequential benefit.

During my term, government cuts to policing budget meant we had to find large savings at a time when the public were demanding more police in their neighbourhoods, not fewer. Also, police were having to deal with cases which had previously been addressed by other local authorities, themselves subject to financial cuts, and which were not directly linked to criminality, most notably mental health issues.

To balance reduced funding, public expectations and national government demands was, and is, a huge challenge. Times seem easier at the moment, but post covid budgets are likely to again see significant pressure on police finances, so balancing the budget and public expectations will be an ever-present challenge for Hampshire’s Police Commissioner.

Sometimes it’s tough, but still important, to be honest with the public about the reality of the situation. Politicians who dodge this reality will not in the long run gain respect from the public and be effective in office.

It was important to engage with all community leaders, from MPs, councillors to local neighbourhood leaders. Some I found, for various reasons, were not interested; some were politely interested, but those who were enthusiastically so achieved more for their communities and were the ones from whom I learnt the most.

The public know when a PCC is effective for them. People realise when things are not going well in their communities. The position caries great responsibility, offering real opportunities for social change an improvement.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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