Staffordshire’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner (PCC) will be either Conservative incumbent Ben Adams or Labour challenger Alistair Watson. The election will be administered by East Staffordshire Borough Council and will take place on Thursday 2 May.
Police and Crime Commissioners were created in 2012 to replace the regional Police Authorities. Their role is to be the “voice of the people and to hold the police to account”, with an aim to cut crime, ensure the police deliver an effective service in the area they represent and that the needs of the community are met.
Following an inspection in December 2023, HM Chief Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services noted an improvement on how the police in Staffordshire respond to the public, an area about which concerns had previously been expressed. Ben Adams said that it was good to know that the progress made had been recognised, adding, “I know how committed every officer and member of staff is to keeping Staffordshire safe. There is more to do but our plan is working.”
Who’s who?
Ben Adams was born in Sutton Coldfield and held positions as a district councillor in Lichfield and a county councillor for Tamworth before being elected Police and Crime Commissioner in May 2021. Writing on his personal website, he says that since taking office he has put the “safety priorities” of people in Staffordshire first, whilst “ensuring nearly £300mn per year is spent wisely on the tools, training and support that the professional officers, firefighters, staff and volunteers need to keep us safe”.
Alistair Watson is the sitting councillor for the Stoke-on-Trent ward of Hanley Park, Joiner’s Square and Shelton. He is also the cabinet member for Financial Stability and Corporate Resources. Speaking to the BBC at the time of his selection as a candidate in December last year he said he was “standing to deliver a long-term plan, to fix the system, to back our police and to make our streets safe again”. He wants to see the police adopt “a prevention-first approach, and not just dealing with crime when there is a victim”.
Full statements from the candidates will be published on 10 April.
The impact of funding cuts on the police
Ahead of Police and Crime Commissioner elections across the country this summer, concerns have been expressed over cuts to funding and the impact this will have on frontline services.
In June last year trade union UNISON warned that police forces in England and Wales could face a combined budget shortfall of £721mn by 2026, potentially putting public safety at risk. UNISON leader Christine McAnea said the funding shortfall was a “warning sign that policing is in deep crisis”.
“Such severe cuts to police budgets will leave many forces unable to protect communities or bring criminals to justice”, she claimed.
In January the National Police Chiefs’ Council said that 6,000 police officers were being regularly diverted away from frontline duties to cope with staff shortages caused by cuts to funding.
Speaking to The Guardian, chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council Gavin Stephens said that although crime is down, policing in England has not yet recovered from government austerity policies instituted from 2010 onwards. As a result, he said: “We’re not getting the full effect of uplift. Effectively, the pain of the budgetary pressures are felt by police staff. We’ve got 4,000 staff vacancies and we’ve got 6,000 police officers in roles that should be done by police staff.”
Staffordshire crime levels
Stafford is rated as the 28th most dangerous county in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, recording in 2022 a rate of 78 crimes per 1,000 people. Stoke-on-Trent is the most dangerous of the county’s large urban areas with Burton-upon-Trent and Newcastle-under-Lyme second and third respectively. Crime is much lower in Burntwood, Lichfield and Cannock. Crime rates in the county have got worse since 2019, with only those for criminal damage and anti-social behaviour showing improvement.
