Police and Crime Commissioner elections 2021: The Lincolnshire PCC candidates

Lincolnshire Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) elections take place on May 6 and the county has five candidates all fighting for the position.

The PCC oversees the strategy and finances of the force, and also hires and fires chief constables, who are responsible for the daily policing operations.

Marc Jones was the second elected PCC of Lincolnshire in May 2016 and this time his role is being challenged by Labour City of Lincoln councillor Rosanne Kirk and Chair of the Lincolnshire Police Independent Advisory Group (IAG), David Williams from the Lincolnshire Independents party, Ross Pepper from the Liberal Democrats and Peter Escreet from the Reform Party.

Here are the candidates’ main priorities:

Marc Jones (Conservative)

Lincolnshire Police and Crime Commissioner Marc Jones.

• Says he has taken Lincolnshire Police from the “brink of bankruptcy” to a financially stable service for Lincolnshire with record police officer recruitment, major investments in technology to keep the force one step ahead of criminals and keep communities safer
• Has targeted funding to tackle repeat offending
• Championed a number of national initiatives including rolling out the county’s first ever mandatory alcohol tagging programme through Lincolnshires’ courts
• Pushed for tougher action against emerging drugs such as Spice and Mamba
• Is leading on changes to the law to further protect victims of crime

Rosanne Kirk (Labour)

Cllr Rosanne Kirk wants to be the next PCC.

• Wants to “Make Westminster Pay” for lack of funding for Lincolnshire Police
• Keep taxes low for Lincolnshire
• Says she will take a pay cut of £25,000, a total of £100,000 over the four year term and put that money into frontline policing
• Remove the post of the unelected deputy PCC (currently Stuart Tweedale), investing the £72,000 saved into dealing with rural crime complaints
• Promises to fight for and listen to all of Lincolnshire, particularly the forgotten about villages and rural communities that don’t feel they get justice anymore

David Williams (Lincolnshire Independents)

David Williams (Lincolnshire Independents) wants to become the next Lincolnshire PCC.

• Make communities safer through increased visibility and accessibility of the police
• Target anti-social behaviour and drug abuse building on the strong sense of community spirit to provide tailored solutions to local problems
• Improve road safety through investment in resources, technology and a programme of road user education and behaviour
• Target rural crime, delivering a flexible and adaptable response as well as strong deterrence measures
• Tackle violent crime and domestic abuse by addressing the root causes so that no one need fear for their safety in the presence of others

Ross Pepper (Liberal Democrats)

Liberal Democrat Candidate Ross Pepper. | Photo: Twitter

• Ross has said he will fight for fair funding from the government for Lincolnshire Police to meet the country’s particular needs.
• A key aim, he said, is crime prevention, arguing that cutting crime and breaking the cycle, before it happens is the best use of resources to cut offending rates.
• He believes there is a need to be tough on serious and violent but also provide quality support and respect for victims, especially in incidents of sexual assaults.
• Ross said he will work with the public, local stakeholders, and the police to create a priority plan that puts an emphasis on community policing.
• He has committed to pledge £25,000 a year of his salary if elected to charities that will help crime prevention in the county.

Peter Escreet (Reform Party)

Peter Escreet is the Reform UK candidate for PCC elections in May.

• Lincolnshire first – says what’s best for Lincolnshire is his only driver for the position regardless of his personal political views or party policy
• Transparency and visibility – He intends to give the public full visibility of the PCC role and activates to show they are getting the best value for their money
• Accountability – He says he will hold Lincolnshire police force accountable for their actions and ensure that he is fully accountable to the public
• Efficient PCC and Policing – From the onset he says he will aim to identify efficiencies to be made and drive improvements in the role of the PCC and the policing of Lincolnshire