Voters will head to the polling stations tomorrow to elect a new Police and Crime Commissioner. The polls open at 7am and close at 10pm.
What is a Police and Crime Commissioner?
The Police and Crime Commissioner is independent and oversees how crime is tackled in the area. They have the ability to hire and fire the chief constable and they decide how the police budget is spend.
The Police and Crime Commissioner meets with the public to help set plans to reduce crime and to make the police more effective.
The voting system has changed since the last election in 2021. Voters will now be given one vote for the candidate of their choice. Whichever candidate has the most votes will be elected. This is called the first-past-the-post method and is used at general elections.
Meet the candidates
There are three candidates standing in the Cheshire Police voting area: John Dwyer (Conservative), Dan Price (Labour) and Paul Duffy (Liberal Democrats).
John Dwyer (Conservative)
John Dwyer © John Dwyer for Cheshire
John Dwyer was elected as the Police and Crime Commissioner for the Cheshire Police area in 2021, replacing Labour’s David Keane.
He wants to make Cheshire’s streets safer by hiring more police.
He said: “Your vote will decide if we continue to put more police on our streets and in our communities, or go back to square one.”
He has claimed that since he was elected:
- 322 extra police officers have been hired in Cheshire.
- Arrests are up by 30 per cent
- Burglaries are down by seven per cent
- Drink-driving arrests are up by 8.3 per cent and drug driving arrests by 13 per cent
- 101 waiting times are down by an average of five minutes.
- Over 90 per cent of all 999 calls are answered within ten seconds.
Dan Price (Labour)
Dan Price left Labour in 2019 and joined the short-lived Change UK party, where he stood unsuccessfully in the European Parliament elections.
He has since returned to Labour and is looking to become Cheshire’s new Police and Crime Commissioner.
Mr Price has used his campaign to take aim at the Conservative Party on a national level. He has cited that according to Home Office data since 2012:
- Overall offending is up 59 per cent
- Public order offences are up 499 per cent
- Sexual offences are up 583 per cent
- Robbery is up 73 per cent
- Violence against the person is up 283 per cent.
He said: “Too often, when crime happens, nothing is done, leaving victims without justice.”
“My goal is for every person in Cheshire to feel safe, valued, and confident that when a crime is committed, justice will be served.”
Paul Duffy (Liberal Democrats)
Paul Duffy has previously stood in two local elections and a general election, but he failed to be elected.
He will be attempting to change his fortunes at the upcoming election with his campaign “Let the police, police.”
Mr Duffy thinks the best way to stop crime is by preventing it rather than reacting to it.
He is aiming to reduce crime at its roots by investing in community initiatives, youth programs, and early intervention strategies.
Mr Duffy has recognised the pressing issues of violent crime, particularly knife crime and violence against women.
When can I vote?
Polls open at 7am on Thursday, May 2. Voter ID will be needed.
Alsager News 