For the past four years, I have served Sussex as the first elected Police & Crime Commissioner. During this time I have focused on: holding the Chief Constable to account to drive performance; helping and supporting the victims of crime, particularly the most vulnerable; keeping our communities safe; improving public confidence; and investing savings in frontline policing.
To ensure I represent the public’s priorities, I travel the length and breadth of Sussex to hear people’s views, attending hundreds of community meetings via my successful #TalkSussex programme of events.
Some of my achievements since being elected include:
- Establishing an award-winning Youth Commission - nationally recognized for outstanding public engagement and for giving young people a direct voice in local policing and an opportunity to influence national policy.
- £20 million upgrade programme for police stations.
- Body worn cameras and smartphones issued to all frontline officers.
- Launching the country’s first joint cyber-crime unit.
- Encouraging the creation of a dedicated business crime team and strategy for Sussex Police.
- Securing £1.1m additional government funding to transform Sussex’s criminal justice system.
- Funding support for victims of abuse, serious sexual offences and child exploitation.
- Establishing the UK’s first Elders Commission – giving older people a voice on policing and crime.
I am a Director on the Board of the national College of Policing and I chair the Sussex Criminal Justice Board working with colleagues to improve the experience for victims. For the past eight years, I have volunteered as a School Governor and have also recently served as an advisor to the editorial board of the Guardian Public Leaders Network 2015-2016.
I am standing for re-election in 2016 so that I may build upon my strong track record and continue delivering for local communities, helping to keep us all Safer in Sussex.