'I'll give a third of salary to victims': Police commissioner candidate Simone Butterworth: Simone Butterworth, Liberal Democrat candidate for Humberside police and crime commissioner has pledged to donate a third of her salary to victims of crime because she believes the £75,000 salary is 'out of keeping' with the lives of ordinary people. On the contrary UKIP candidate Godfrey Bloom said the salary would be 'twice as high' for a similar role in the private sector and that people will be asking for more in two years. Paul Davison, a former police commander in the East Riding, standing as an independent candidate says 'the pay is nowhere near what it should be for the job it is' Labour candidate Lord Prescott says he would do the job whatever the pay, while Conservative candidate Michael Grove, described the PCC role as the 'job from hell' http://www.thisishullandeastriding.co.uk/ll-salary-victims-Police-commissioner-candidate/story-16928105-detail/story.html
Steve Uncles, the English Democrat candidate for Kent, who works as a health manager, favours a return to 'common sense' policing, with no 'politically correct' prioritizing: Mr Uncles wants victims of crime whom have committed crimes in defence of their property to be given the benefit of the doubt where appropriate and is also pledging zero tolerance of drugs http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-19546124
A former CEO of Olympus is backing Essex independent candidate Mick Thwaites: Mr Woodford, who was fired from his job and had to be given police protection said: “What we need in a PCC is a “crime fighter” with a proven and successful track record of putting criminals behind bars https://www.echo-news.co.uk/news/local_news/9933158.former-chief-executive-backs-mick-thwaites-for-police-crime-commissioner/
New research shows that although the majority of people, (91%) think it is important for PCCs to listen to victims, but only one in five people believe that they will be treated as a priority http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/sep/10/victims-crime-society
The Conservative candidate for Cheshire Police and Crime Commissioner, John Dwyer, has launched a countywide consultation on policing and crime priorities: He sent a survey to the 233 town and parish councils within the county, asking councillors to express their views on which areas of policing they think should be targeted at a local level. Mr Dwyer said: 'I believe that parish and town councils are close to their communities and have a major role to play in informing the new Police and Crime Commissioner about what the priorities are in their patch' http://www.creweguardian.co.uk/news/9934405.Conservative_police_candidate_launches_consultation/
Mark Etheridge, a potential Tory councillor who was forced to leave the party after he posed with a golliwog on Facebook is now running as the UKIP candidate for PCC in the West Midlands. It was also revealed that the BNP are also planning to field a candidate in force area: http://www.sundaymercury.net/news/midlands-news/2012/09/16/golliwog-controversy-as-ukip-candidate-in-running-for-police-commissioner-s-job-66331-31843611/
New policing minister Damian Green urges prospective crime commissioners to hire private firms for back office duties: 'I hope you will all consider the value of private sector partnering to achieve both cost savings and better services for the public,' Mr Green said at a national briefing day held by the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners in London. 'Every pound saved means a pound saved to be used on the front line putting officers on the streets' http://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/use-private-sector-to-offset-police-cuts-new-policing-minister-damian-green-urges-prospective-crime-commissioners-8125368.html
Thousands of people in Hertsmere are at risk of losing their vote in the elections for the Police and Crime Commissioner: According to Hertsmere Borough Council , around 8,000 households may become ineligible to vote if they do not return their electoral registration form by Wednesday, October 31 http://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/news/9932928.Thousands_yet_to_register_for_forthcoming_Police_and_Crime_Commissioner_elections/
Victim Support says few know of PCC elections: A YouGov survey of 2,400 people for the charity Victim Support, found that 82% of respondents did not know who their local candidates were. This implies that there is a widespread lack of awareness about the flagship Home Office policy of directly-elected police and crime commissioners http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-19492318
PCC pioneer Nick Herbert quits amid reshuffle: The Policing and Criminal Justice Minister, who was the force behind the creation of Police and Crime commissioners, has quit, for unrelated reasons during David Cameron’s reshuffle. He said he has resigned to focus on ‘new ideas’ http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/police-commissioners-champion-nick-herbert-quits-amid-reshuffle-8104788.html
Humberside Conservative PCC candidate wants to give harsher sentencing and fines for drunks: Michael Grove plans to campaign for tougher sentencing and to introduce a system of giving fines to people who drunkenly offend. Mr Grove added that Lord Prescott, his Labour rival in the upcoming elections, had voted for the Human Rights Act, something which he believes is a 'charter for criminals' that he wants to see abolished: http://www.thisisgrimsby.co.uk/Police-Commissioner-candidate-Matthew-Grove/story-16872099-detail/story.html
Ballot papers will only be available in English: http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2012/09/11/police-commissioner-english-only-ballot-papers-warning-issued-91466-31809527/
Tories back business man: The Conservatives of Merseyside have selected Geoff Gub, a businessman to be their candidate in the PCC elections http://www.wirralnews.co.uk/wirral-news/local-wirral-news/west-wirral-news/2012/09/19/tories-back-local-businessman-80491-31859016/
UKIP leader Nigel Farage has said his party could spring a surprise in November's police and crime commissioner elections: UKIP plans to field candidates in the 'majority' of November's elections across England and Wales and could exploit the fact that there is an expected low turnout to win in some areas http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-19517700
Gillian Radcliffe, an independent candidate for the Police and Crime Commissioner position in South Yorkshire has pulled out of the election saying she cannot afford to fund her campaign. She said: 'An expert in political campaigns has told me that even "doing it on the cheap" would cost at least £50,000' http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-19584628
The Electoral Commission has said that the government advertising campaign to promote police commissioner elections risks undermining public confidence in the elections: The watchdog has raised concerns about the ramifications for the turn-out on Election Day, if voters and candidates 'question the neutrality' of the adverts http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-19551652
A candidate for police commissioner has provoked anger by saying he would want to abolish the concept of hate crime: Godfrey Bloom, UKIP candidate for Humberside Police, said: 'If I’m elected commissioner I will not give policing priorities to any cultural or social minority who claim they should have preference' http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/at-a-glance/main-section/candidate-branded-unfit-over-vow-to-remove-hate-crime-from-police-agenda-1-4912432
Cost of election is deterring independent candidates: It is claimed that independent candidates are being excluded from the opportunity to become elections Police and Crime Commissioner of Staffordshire because of the high cost of the deposit, and promotion materials http://www.thisisstaffordshire.co.uk/Cost-police-election-deters-Staffordshire-s/story-16865665-detail/story.html
The move towards ‘American-style Police Commissioner’ have been criticized by black and ethnic minority charity Fata He on the grounds that it will exclude people from the black and ethnic minority community: Ossie Glover, chief executive of Fata He in Plymouth, criticized November's election of a Police and Crime Commissioner for 'excluding the diverse community' http://www.thisisplymouth.co.uk/Election-police-chief-excludes-minority-Plymouth/story-16854357-detail/story.html
Former chairman of the Conservative Party Lord Tebbit had pushed the issue of capital punishment back up the political agenda by calling for the death penalty to be available in certain circumstances: A panel of professionals and public figures discussed with members of the public issues of justice, ahead Suffolk’s first police and crime commissioner elections, at a law and order version of Question Time at Suffolk police headquarters http://www.eadt.co.uk/news/suffolk_police_and_crime_commissioner_role_has_no_place_for_politics_1_1522750