Peter McCall is the Conservative Police and Crime Commissioner candidate for Cumbria.
The need for responsive, agile, and informed decision-making in our police and security services has never been more vital than in this day and age.
While I can happily say ‘traditional’ crime has declined, we have seen an increase in some of the most destructive crimes; child sexual exploitation, domestic abuse and cybercrime. These crimes are rapidly changing and are hard to detect. They destroy lives, they destroy trust, and their impact can be felt across force borders. And of course, the threat of terrorism is ever present and wherever we are in the country we cannot afford to be complacent.
This is why I believe directly elected and accountable PCCs are so important. They are the direct link between the public and the police. A good PCC will make local people’s priorities for tackling crime their priorities. The past four years have shown a PCC is far more effective in helping to get things done than the anonymous authority they replaced.
As a former Army Officer, for me responsibility is entrenched. I am trained to make decisions, get on with delivery, and then be ready to take responsibility for the outcome. In fact, the last 34 years has stood me in good stead to take on the PCC role for Cumbria. I have been involved in peacekeeping in Bosnia, flood relief and foot and mouth operations at home in Cumbria and most recently lead the response to the Ebola crisis in Sierra Leone. This has given me real experience of multi-agency leadership and team building in life threatening, fast moving operational scenarios, setting me up as the ideal candidate for this challenging position.
Some Independent candidates have been peddling the claim that by voting for them you are keeping “politics out of policing”. Put simply, this is wrong. Looking beyond the fact many of those individuals have been involved personally in politics as local councillors during their careers, (so however they dress it up, they are politicians) the fact is the PCC is a political role with an elected mandate. They are visible, public figures, with authorization to take executive decisions to improve policing in their area. But most importantly they offer people the chance to ensure that their agenda for policing is taken forward.
I am a Conservative and a soldier. I have served our country, and governments of every shade for 34 years, on the front line where our role as public servants is to make the job work and get on with it. I believe I have the qualifications, experience and competence to do the incredibly complex, fast moving role of the PCC. I’m not asking anyone to vote for me just because I am a Conservative, but rather, because they think I have the experience and proven leadership skills to do the job.
The next Police and Crime Commissioner of Cumbria must be a professional team player, experienced in clear thinking at strategic level. People need to vote for the person who has the competence, skills and leadership to keep them safe. This is too important to get wrong and this is why people should vote for me.