Looking forward to my new job as Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner for Humberside

Many of you will now know that I’ve been appointed Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner (DPCC) for Humberside.

 

I am delighted that Commissioner Matthew Grove has asked me to become his Deputy. After working closely with Matthew in his election campaign, helping him to write his manifesto, and working alongside him in the weeks since he has taken office, this is a challenge which I am looking forward to immensely. I think it’s important to set out the objectives and purpose of my role, and what aspects of the Police and Crime Commissioners office Matthew has asked me to lead on.

 

One of the key aspects of the role is to deputise for Matthew when he is unavailable. 

 

The role of the Police and Crime Commissioner is not just to set the priorities for the Police and monitor their performance, but to work with strategic partners, including local authorities, community safety partnerships and voluntary services, to examine the ways we can prevent crime from occurring in the community, and to challenge the cycle of re-offending.  These are the key areas which I will be concentrating on.

 

As a local Councillor, I have always tried to be at the heart of the community I serve, and have worked on many public safety initiatives over the years.  Over the course of the three and a half years, I will be meeting the people who work tirelessly to make Northern Lincolnshire and East Yorkshire communities better places to live, and exploring how we can work with and support them to cut crime even further, through new and innovative ideas. The ‘..and Crime’ part of Matthew’s title also includes how we work with the criminal justice system to ensure that the good work of our Police officers and staff is properly reflected in the sentences handed down to criminals, included restorative justice in the community.

 

In these tough economic times, we must use every opportunity to save money by working closely with other public and voluntary sector organisations to share examples of good practice. I will be exploring how we can join together to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the ‘back office’ of the force through shared services and assets, to make better use of facilities to deliver more value for money, and to ensure that we find ways of achieving the Government imposed savings without affecting policing.

 

I have also been asked to proactively enhance relationships with local and regional media, to promote the success of the joint work of the Commissioner, Police and partners in securing improved outcomes for local people.

 

Building on the success of chairing the Local Action Team/Community Partnership in the Goole and Howden Area, I’ve been asked to proactively enhance relationships with a wide range of stakeholders in the community safety and criminal justice sectors to identify blockages or identify opportunities to improve the delivery of programmes that secure improved outcomes for local people across Northern Lincolnshire and East Yorkshire.

 

Needless to say, after consulting with Howdenshire residents, Parish Councillors, friends & family the overwhelming feeling is that I should continue to serve as an East Riding of Yorkshire Councillor, although I will be giving up some of my specific roles including removing myself from the Council's Corporate & Communities Overview & Scrutiny Committee and the Licencing Committee, I will also be stepping down from chairing the Goole and Howdenshire Community Partnership. I will be also reviewing my other commitments in the months to come.

 

To enable me to continue as an ERYC Councillor and take on the role of DPCC, I will be taking very much a back seat and a 'hands off' role in the running of 1-2 Clear Ltd.  The day to day running will be cascaded down to the employees and the overall responsibility passing to my fellow director. 

 

2013 will be an exciting and challenging year, and I look forward to working hard with Matthew to make our communities safer.

 Matthew Grove has said: “The people of East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire elected me to be their voice in ensuring the safety of their community. I represent 900,000 people in an area of 1,350 square miles, on two banks of the River Humber, where over 70,000 crimes are reported each year. The enormity of this role is not lost on me and I need a deputy who I can rely on to challenge me on the big issues, to be a critical friend and lead on significant areas of work on my behalf. 

 

My Chief Executive built a detailed profile for the job, to give me extra capacity by having someone who can focus on partnership working, the ‘back office’ side of policing and working with the media to make sure all my aspirations are communicated to the local public. This profile was developed and assessed independently. 

 

As Commissioner I need someone who I have total trust and confidence in and who can fit this profile. My judgement is that Paul fits this role and can deliver everything I need to be delivered. I know that Paul’s vast experience, skills and deep understanding of community safety issues fit the role of deputy. The work he has done with me since the election has left me even more convinced of this. 

 

2013 is going to be a busy year. It will start with approving a budget and appointing a new Chief Constable, then issuing a Police and Crime Plan and delivering on the pledges I made in my manifesto. The public have put their trust in me to make these important decisions. They deserve less crime and the best possible policing and with Paul’s appointment, I am confident we will deliver this.”