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Police and Crime Commissioners Election 2024
According to the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, the role of a Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) is;
“…to be the voice of the people and hold the police to account. They are responsible for the totality of policing.
PCCs aim to cut crime and deliver an effective and efficient police service within their police force area. They are elected by the public to hold Chief Constables and the force to account, making the police answerable to the communities they serve.
PCCs ensure community needs are met as effectively as possible and are improving local relationships through building confidence and restoring trust. They 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.”
With our partners Trust House and Oxfordshire Sexual Abuse and Rape Crisis Centre (OSARCC), we support over 3,000 victims of sexual violence per year across the Thames Valley, with demand continuing to rise for our services. Trust in the effectiveness of the criminal justice system for victims of sexual violence, and in particular women and girls, is at an all-time low, with the Thames Valley Police rate of reports of sexual violence that result in a charge being at 4% in the last reporting year (ONS, 2022).
Elections for the position of the PCC take place on Thursday 2nd May 2024. You can read more about the elections process here.
What have we done?
In advance of this election, we asked all PCC candidates in the Thames Valley area about their commitment to ending sexual violence, Violence Against Women and Girls and supporting those who experience this. We shared that at a minimum, we would expect the following commitments:
- To provide ringfenced funding for specialist, independent sexual violence support for victims, delivered by specialist services that hold National Service Standards with national awarding bodies such as Rape Crisis England and Wales, The Survivors Trust or the Male Survivors Partnership
- To commit to ending Violence Against Women and Girls (including sexual violence, domestic abuse, stalking and harassment, female genital mutilation, so-called honour-based abuse) and making sexual violence awareness training mandatory for police officers and staff
- To ensure support for survivors of sexual violence who do not wish to engage with the criminal justice system is available to an equal standard to those who do choose to report.
Please note that the Sexual Assault and Abuse Support Service Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes (SAASSBMK), Trust House and OSARCC are all registered charities and as such are all politically neutral and independent bodies. We do not give support to any political party, nor to a candidate or politician. Therefore, we approached all candidates standing in this election to hear their views and made it clear that we would be publishing their responses (or lack thereof).
The publication of any candidate’s responses should not be interpreted as a pledge or recommendation for them, and we encourage you to independently consider how you may wish to vote. To find out more about the candidates, visit the Choose My PCC website.
Candidate responses - last updated 30/04/2024
Matthew Barber, Conservative candidate – response received 25/04/2024
“I’m very happy to confirm that I remain committed to supporting victims of sexual violence in Thames Valley.
As you’ll be aware during my time as PCC, funding for victims services has continued to increase and you’ll know that we have just recommissioned services for Victims First. The new model for our victims service is, I believe, not just a further development of the provision previously available but gives a sound and sustainable base for future services.
I will happily commit to those pledges. Of course as always it is subject to available funding, but I’m not expecting the overall direction of travel on victims services to change.”
Tim Bearder, Liberal Democrats candidate – no response received
Russell Fowler, Independent candidate – no response received
Ben Holden-Crowther, Independent candidate – no response received
Tim Starkey, Labour and Co-operative Party candidate – response received 26/04/2024
“Having specialised in the prosecution of sexual offences in my work as a barrister for more than 10 years this is a subject close to my heart.
I am happy to support the policy commitments identified in your letter. In relation to the commitment of “ending Violence Against Women and Girls” I don’t believe it would be realistic to say that I will completely eradicate VAWG over a 4 year term. What I will, absolutely, commit to is making Reducing Violence Against Women and Girls one of the key priorities in my Police and Crime Plan. Tackling VAWG is not one of the current 5 priorities listed. Moreover, Labour has made it its national mission to halve VAWG over the next decade. I believe that this is an achievable target and important to set because it puts it at the top of the political agenda.
I welcome your observations about training for officers. Often, in my professional experience, officers responding to a report and taking a first account do not have sufficient training and understanding as to what evidence will need to be gathered for use in court. I also find that too often officers completing DASH questionnaires treat it as a tick box exercise rather than going further to get all the information.
Thank you again for raising these important issues.”
For more information about this or other services,
please get in touch.
Email:
General enquiries: admin@saassbmk.org.uk
For support: support@saassbmk.org.uk
Buckinghamshire AND Milton Keynes: 01908 201971