The views expressed in these blogs represent those of the candidates and not those of StopWatch, StopWatch does not endorse any candidate standing in the PCC elections.
Mike Rumble, independent candidate for West Midlands PCC
My knowledge as a former police officer, coupled with experience running a successful business, gives me a unique set of skills that no other candidate posses.
20% budget cuts with more expected in the next few years have brought the service to a near crisis point. The recent report from Her Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary states that “Budget cuts are a threat to the long term sustainability of forces to effectively tackle crime and provide the level of service the public rightly expect and deserve”.
I will support the staff of the West Midlands Police and, importantly in doing so; I will be supporting the residents of the West Midlands, making sure your voice is heard and that the officers deliver the service we so rightly deserve.
To be able to keep the people of the West Midlands safe and maintain police patrols, we need officers on our streets. To that end, I will immediately halt the policy of police redundancies.
I will also cancel current proposals to contract out parts of the police service to private security companies.
Instead I will work with the Chief Constable; the Police Federation and support staff unions to modernise business and work practices that free officers to patrol our streets, to be proactive and innovative wherever possible and reactive when the public need them.
I will also address the public concern about police investigating police complaints. I will negotiate with the Chief Constable to return the police investigators to front line policing and replace them with independent non-police investigators, so that the public can have confidence that complaints are investigated impartially.
Politicians have lost the respect and trust of the public and I believe that it is imperative that we make sure that politicians of whatever party do not take control of our police service.
Voting for me, as an Independent candidate, will provide a truly independent voice for the residents of the West Midlands.
StopWatch will be hosting blogs from the campaign trail in the coming weeks. We will be focusing on our three key areas of the West Midlands, Suffolk and Leicester. We welcome blogs from candidates from these areas, however if you are a candidate from elsewhere in the country we would love to hear from you as well.