Meet the candidates vying to be Lincolnshire Police and Crime Commissioner
Five candidates are fighting for the position of Lincolnshire Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), which goes to the public vote on tomorrow (Thursday).
The PCC oversees the strategy and finances of the police force, and hires and fires chief constables, who are responsible for the daily policing operations.
The current holder of the post is Marc Jones, who was elected in 2016.
Voters are asked to pick a first and second choice when they go to the polls.
If no candidate wins 50% of the first preferences then the top two candidates go into a run off. Then, if your candidate has been eliminated, your second choice will be counted.
On these two pages, each of the candidates makes their case - in their own words - as to why you should put your trust in them…
Marc Jones (Conservative - current PCC)
Much has already been delivered to transform Lincolnshire Police from the hard working yet financially unsustainable Force I inherited in 2016 but there is still more to do.
The story so far:
Delivered £11m (16.5% increase) a year more delivered from Government, rising to circa £16m next year.
Record Officer recruitment, 240 starting 2020-2022, more planned.
Delivered extra £14m to prevent and tackle crime, more to follow.
Investments in time saving tech keeping Officers in your community for longer.
First Force to seize hare courser’s dogs, new 4x4s, drones, Tasers and more.
Faster 101 and 999 times, 94.8% emergencies answered under 10 seconds.
Faster emergency response times.
My plans include:
Ending the circa £24m a year G4S contract, putting £7.8m into policing not shareholder profits.
Continue to maximise Officer numbers.
Expand the fight against fraud and scams and create the UK’s first “no call cold zone”.
Create a new rural crime enforcement team and a £500,000 rural crime fighting fund, freeing up neighbourhood teams to be more visible on our streets.
A new visible roads crime policing team to reduce tragedy on roads and keep travelling criminals out of our communities.
Expand our work with justice partners to further reduce re-offending.
Create a new violence and harm reduction programme to tackle domestic abuse, drugs, sexual crimes, violence and the use of knives.
Invest in anti fly-tipping measures alongside councils to tackle the criminals who blight our county with their waste.
Continue to provide resources for investment in new technology and better equipment to keep Officers, staff and the public safe, improve call answer and response times giving you the service you deserve.
Lincolnshire needs a Police and Crime Commissioner with a track record of securing funding, experience of how to invest wisely and a proven ability to deliver.
Endorsing my campaign -
Sir John Hayes MP “Highly effective champion of local people’s interests”
Andrew Branton local farmer “He understands the rural priorities of Lincolnshire”
Jim Tyner former Chief Inspector, Lincolnshire Police, rural crime lead “Provided rural police teams with the right vehicles, equipment and funding to tackle rural crime”
Peter Escreet (Reform Party)
I was born in south Yorkshire but moved to the local area at the age of 5, I moved down south to go to university studying Engineering and stayed to begin my career. I moved back to Lincolnshire back in 2015 as I wanted to be back in the heart of England to settle down and start a family. I’m restoring an old Georgian/Victorian property in the central part of historic Grantham.
I did my apprenticeship at RHP bearings in Newark and then went to Reading University, after which I started my career at Centrica Energy (owners of British Gas) Since then I’ve worked mainly in the private sector for different organisations as a consultant working to drive improvement programs.
I’ve previously not been involved in any politics, and I don’t have an aspiration to be involved in politics going forward. For me politics is like wrestling with pigs; in the end you both get dirty but the pig is enjoying itself. I do not believe that the PPC role should be political.
I’m standing because I strongly believe the Lincolnshire public should be given the opportunity to elect someone to the position of PCC who isn’t a politician. I have years of experience in the private sector improving organisations along with reducing costs and ensuing services and process are working to better standards.
I’ve made the following promises as part of my address:
Lincolnshire first – what’s best for Lincolnshire is my only driver for this position regardless of my personal political views or party policy.
Transparency and visibility – I intend to give the public full visibility of the PCC role and activates to show that they are getting the best value for their money.
Accountability – I will hold Lincolnshire police force accountable for their actions and ensure that I am fully accountable to the public.
Efficient PCC and Policing – From the onset I will aim to Identify efficiencies to be made and drive improvements in the role of the PCC and the policing of Lincolnshire
Rosanne Kirk (Labour & Co-Operative)
The Labour and Cooperative Party candidate in the forthcoming Lincolnshire Police and Crime Commissioner election is promising to take a £25,000 annual pay cut and put the money into frontline policing.
Rosanne Kirk, 51, said: "I would scrap the unelected deputy PCC role to save £72,000 over four years to help tackle rural crime.
"I promise to never take from the people of Lincolnshire.
"So, in solidarity, I am announcing if elected that on the first day in office I shall cut my wage by £25,000 a year from £65,000 to £40,000, putting £100,000 directly into frontline policing over my four-year term.
"The incumbent PCC Marc Jones wants to make people pay by taxing them the "maximum 5.9 per cent" for the policing element of the council tax.
"I pledge to keep your taxes low by making Westminster pay.
"We’ve seen our political elites waste public money, and at the same time, Lincolnshire Police could be owed millions of pounds by London.
"But Westminster doesn’t want to give us a fair funding formula and with those in power silent, what can we do? Well, I say enough is enough. I Promise To Fight For And Listen To All Of Lincolnshire, Especially The Forgotten About Villages And Rural Communities That Don’t Feel They Get Justice Anymore.
"I'll Ensure That Offenders Are Brought To Justice And More Investment In Community Services To Provide Opportunities For Youngsters And Prevent Re-Offending.
"A Vote for me on the 6th of May is to Make Westminster Pay."
Ross Pepper (Lib Dem)
Ross is a true Lincolnshire ‘yellowbelly’ and for him, the county of Lincolnshire is a special part of the world given its history and unique identity, and he is proud to call it home. He is honoured to be standing for the role of Police & Crime Commissioner for Lincolnshire.
Ross studied International Relations at the University of Lincoln and he now works for a local small business as a Project Manager. He is an experienced local campaigner having stood in previous elections at district and county level and served as a Parish Councillor between 2015 and 2019. He has also stood in four Parliamentary elections including the 2016 Sleaford & North Hykeham by-election which saw him double the Lib Dems’ vote share.
He is standing because he feels that the current system fails to deliver for the residents of Lincolnshire. With a third of the crime in Lincolnshire being closed to investigation with no suspect, Lincolnshire Police need the time, resources, and officers to be able to serve their community.
To help deal with this, Ross is calling for a return to community policing, along with a strategy to fight the causes of crime such as drug addiction, education, and lack of youth services. Crime Prevention is the best use of resources when it comes to delivering an effective police service.
Serious and violent crime cannot go unpunished and tackling this will be a priority for Ross. Alongside this, we need to provide quality support and respect for the victim, especially in incidents of sexual assault and rape.
Ross would work with communities and local government to make our streets and roads safer. Safer streets at night are an important area of concern that Ross has campaigned on locally, and will be a focus if elected. He will also work to tackle speeding and dangerous driving on our county’s roads.
Ross has committed to pledge £25,000 a year of his salary, if elected, to charities that will help crime prevention in the county.
David Williams (Lincolnshire Independents)
Policing is difficult and complex, and Lincolnshire’s officers and staff work hard to keep our roads and communities safe and free from crime. However, some people don't feel safe and lack confidence in their police. They feel it isn’t worth reporting crime because nothing happens or problems like anti-social behaviour and drugs persist despite years of them being reported.
Nobody should feel like this and it is up to the PCC to show more urgency, vision and action to restore confidence in policing.
This isn’t just about funding and more officers. It’s about the PCC showing leadership. It’s about making a difference to people’s lives and increasing their trust and confidence in the police. And it’s definitely not about politics, it’s about having someone who has only communities’ interests in mind and who has the knowledge, ability and commitment to make things happen.
That is what I will bring to the role of Police and Crime Commissioner.
Anyone can make promises to reduce crime and offending. But being an effective PCC is not about what you promise, it’s about what and how you will deliver.
My strategy will be to:
Build public trust and confidence in policing ensuring every community across Lincolnshire has a say in policing priorities for their area
Be ambitious for Lincolnshire’s Police to be recognised as one of the top performing Forces in the country
Promote best practice and innovation to deliver adaptable, forward looking policing capable of responding quickly to changing priorities and new challenges
Put victims first and at the heart of everything we do
Demand a fairer funding settlement for Lincolnshire’s police, challenging the government to honour its commitment to levelling up.
I have over 40 years’ experience in the military, civil service and in education and a long association with Lincolnshire of over 20 years, having first trained and served in the county with the RAF in the 1980s. However, it is my work with youth justice and as Chair of Lincolnshire Police’s Independent Advisory Group that has fired my passion for wanting to make a difference to policing in Lincolnshire.
