FOUR police and crime commissioners have been elected in Wales. The results have been announced after the Police and Crime Commissioner elections took place on Thursday.
Labour now has three of four of Wales’ police and crime commissioners (PCCs) after Andy Dunbobbin secured a gain for the party in north Wales.
The other three PCCs were re-elected and between them all, they decide how £760m of Wales’ police budget is spent.
The voting system used means unless a candidate gets more than 50% of votes in the first round of counting, all but the top two candidates are eliminated from the election – and secondary votes on the ballot paper are then counted.
PCCs are elected representatives who work to ensure police forces in England and Wales are running effectively.
They replaced police authorities in 2012 and were intended to bring a public voice to policing.
The UK government insists PCCs are not there to run local police forces but to hold them to account and respond to the needs of the public.
The roundup for each police force area is as follows:
South Wales
First round:
Alun Michael (Labour): 177,110
Steve Gallagher (Conservative): 102,465
Nadine Marshall (Plaid Cymru): 82,246
Mike Baker (Independent): 37,110
Callum Littlemore (Liberal Democrats): 19,907
Gail John (Propel): 13,263
Second round:
Alun Michael (Labour): 48,353
Steve Gallagher (Conservative): 25,379
Alun Michael has been re-elected as Police and Crime Commissioner by the communities of South Wales for the third time.
The result of the election for the post was declared earlier today at the Memo Arts Centre in Barry.
Mr Michael said: “I am pleased to have had the support of the electorate across South Wales and to have been re-elected as Police and Crime Commissioner for the third time. A great deal has been achieved through some very difficult years for policing but I am very keen for us to build on the firm foundations that we have put in place, and I shall be saying more shortly about my plans and ambitions for the next three years.
“While the past 12 months have been immensely difficult for everyone, we have worked with partners in Welsh Government and Local Government to keep the people of South Wales safe and the close joint working has brought about some very positive developments as has the cooperation between all parts of the Criminal Justice System in Wales so I want to thank the public, the members of my own team and to the Chief Constable, Jeremy Vaughan, and officers and staff across South Wales Police. Together we must now face challenge of recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic while at the same time working hard to reduce and prevent crime in our communities and deal with new and emerging demands that have an impact on policing. I relish the challenge and now that the election is over I will work with the Chief Constable to pursue our shared ambition of giving the communities of South Wales the best possible police service. We will pursue that aim, along with the aim of preventing harm, by working with our partners, always achieving more together than we can achieve alone.”
Chief Constable Jeremy Vaughan said: “I would like to congratulate Alun Michael on his re-election as the Police and Crime Commissioner for South Wales. I have enjoyed a very positive working relationship with Alun over several years and I look forward to continuing our work to keep the communities of South Wales safe. My focus remains on leading the force in addressing the challenges in our communities, including serious violence and knife crime, domestic abuse, drug dealing and protecting the vulnerable. By continuing to work with the Commissioner’s Team and in partnership with other organisations we can continue to protect the public and look after those who need us most.”
Gwent
First round:
Donna Cushing (Plaid Cymru): 29,392
Jeff Cuthbert (Labour and Co-operative Party): 75,775
Paul Harley (Independent): 13,601
Hannah Jarvis (Conservative Party): 52,313
Clayton Jones (Gwlad – The Welsh Independence Party): 2,615
John Miller – Liberal Democrats: (7,640)
Second round:
Jeff Cuthbert (Labour and Co-operative Party):16,841
Hannah Jarvis (Welsh Conservative Party): 8,223
Jeff Cuthbert said: “I am delighted to be able to serve Gwent as Police and Crime Commissioner for another term and would like to sincerely thank everyone who took the time to vote in the election.
“I must also thank my deputy, Eleri Thomas, who I propose to re-appoint as Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner, and my colleagues at the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for their work over the last five years.
“Working together with the Chief Constable of Gwent Police and key partners we have achieved much over the last term of which I am incredibly proud. Together we have worked to ensure that we are protecting the most vulnerable in our society, building greater cohesion within our communities, and that Gwent Police officers and staff have the resources they need to protect and reassure our residents to the best of their ability.
“I know that we still have much to do and in the coming weeks I will begin working on my new Police and Crime Plan for Gwent that will set out my priorities for the next three years
Dyfed Powys
First round:
Jon Burns (Conservatives): 69,112
Dafydd Llywelyn (Plaid Cymru): 68,208
Philippa Thompson (Labour): 48,033
Glyn Preston (Welsh Liberal Democrats) 17,649
Second round:
Jon Burns: 8,209
Dafydd Llywelyn: 26,280
Dafydd Llywelyn issued the following statement: “I am extremely pleased to be re-elected as your Police and Crime Commissioner. As your current Commissioner, operational, front-line policing has, and always will come before party politics. I have a strong track record of delivering on my promises and of listening to the communities of Dyfed Powys. I am proud of what I have achieved since 2016, but there is still so much to do.
“Your safety is my top priority. I want to ensure that the Dyfed Powys Police Force remains one of the safest places to live in Wales and England.”
North Wales
First round:
Mark Young (Independent): 15,907
Andy Dunbobbin (Labour): 69,459
Lisa Wilkins (Welsh Liberal Democrats): 10,149
Pat Astbury (Conservative): 75,472
Ann Griffith (Plaid Cymru): 67,672
Second round:
Andy Dunbobbin (Labour): 28,575
Pat Astbury (Conservative): 14,677
The new Police and Crime Commissioner for the North Wales Police area is Labour’s Andy Dunbobbin.
He said: “Visibility in our communities would be my top priority. We all want to be safe and secure – this really matters to us. Having a more visible police presence would reassure our communities and help towards us reclaiming the streets. I also feel that more visibility on social media platforms needs to happen and I would work collaboratively, cross-party to challenge social media companies so the police can take further action.
“There has been a decade of unprecedented cuts in policing and to Welsh Government from the Conservative UK government. This is why the Welsh Labour Government’s investment in additional PCSOs has been so vital – and why I’m so pleased the Welsh Labour manifesto has a pledge to deliver 100 more. Whereas the Conservatives have said they will end the funding for this scheme – meaning a loss of 500 PCSOs from patrolling Welsh streets.”
Mr Dunbobbin’s victory comes after the previous PPC Arfon Jones announced he would not stand again after being elected in 2016.
On Sunday the 46-year-old was elected after standing against four other candidates: Patricia Astbury, Conservative, Ann Griffith, Plaid Cymru, Lisa Wilkins, Liberal Democrats and independent candidate Mark John Young.
He won with 98,034 overall votes defeating Conservative rival Pat Astbury by 7,885 votes after second preference ballots were added in.
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