The commissioner, will replace the police authority and their job will be to ensure the force prioritises what matters most.
The aim of the commissioner will be to cut crime and deliver an effective police service within the force area. The commissioner will ensure community needs are met as effective as possible and will work in partnership across a range of agencies at local and national level to ensure there is a unified approach to preventing and reducing crime.
There are three candidates in the West Mercia area fighting for the seat, Adrian Blackshaw, the Conservative candidate, Bill Longmore, an independent candidate, and Dr Simon Murphy, who is standing for Labour.
Prime minister David Cameron and policing minister Damian Green have both publicly spoken out about the importance of voting for a local police and crime commissioner in today’s elections.
Mr Cameron said: “These are big, important elections coming up. It’s the first time they are being held. People are going to be voting in their own law and order champion: one person who sets the budgets, sets the priorities; hires and fires the chief constable; bangs heads together to get things done.
“If you want more tough policing, you can get it. If you want coppers who are on the beat, on your street, cracking down on antisocial behaviour, focusing on the things you care about, then don’t just talk about it, get out and vote for it.”
While Mr Green said: “‘From 15 November onwards any development in crime prevention, policing and criminal justice will need to engage PCCs and they will be key in its implementation. This puts the public at the heart of policy making, and at the heart of policing.”
How does the election work?
People can make two choices for a police and crime commissioner.
• Vote for your first choice candidate by marking a cross (X) in the first choice column.
• Vote for your second choice candidate by marking a cross (X) in the second choice column.
You can choose not to mark a second choice.
• If you only mark a second choice, your vote will not be counted.
• If you give the same candidate your first and second choice, only your first choice will be counted.
• Marking a second choice cannot reduce the chances of your first choice being successful.
• Only one of your choices is counted towards the final result so you still only get one vote.
How is a police and crime commissioner elected?
• If a candidate gets more than half of all the first choice votes, they will be declared the winner and elected a police and crime commissioner.
• If no candidate gets more than half of the first choice votes, the two candidates with the most first choices go into a second round and all other candidates are eliminated.
• The eliminated candidates’ ballot papers are reviewed and any second choice votes for the top two candidates are added to their scores. The candidate with the highest number of combined first and second choice votes is the winner.
Information about all candidates is held at www.choosemypcc.org.uk.
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