 |
| John Smith is hoping to become PCC as Sue Mountstevens is not standing |
Somerset Independents is not standing a candidate in the Avon and Somerset Police and Crime Commissioner Election 2021. More information on our decision, and information on all candidates, are in our updated article here.
Instead,
we are holding all of the candidates to account and challenging them to
answer the questions that residents want answered.
We have asked questions to all 5 candidates. Some of the questions are the same for all candidates. The other questions are based on what each candidate has said in public.
All candidates were asked their questions over the most recent weekend.
Below is the FULL response from Independent Candidate John Smith. He was the fourth candidate to respond.
At the time of writing (6.30pm 30th April 2021), only one candidate, the Liberal Democrat Heather Shearer, is yet to respond to our questions. Her campaign has also not provided an email address for the campaign, so we were forced to use her Mendip District Council email address. She has been chased for a response but still not responded.
Please see below responses to your questions from John Smith – the Independent Candidate
1. Please see the article that we published at:
https://www.somerinds.org/2021/03/avon-and-somerset-police-what-does.html
(a) We would like to hear what you think of Ms Mountstevens' responses to our questions - what you agree with, what you do not agree with, and why you think you would do better as PCC?
We are particularly interested to hear how you respond to our definition of what makes a genuine Independent candidate and representative, as we state here. Our colleagues across England and Wales agree with this definition:
https://www.somerinds.org/2020/07/what-is-independent-councillor.html
I agree with your definition of what makes an Independent candidate. Having an independent candidate is important to represent local residents' views only and not the views of a Westminster party group. They should put local residents’ views first and should listen, act and respond to the wants and needs of local people.
I believe independence is important as it means I can also work proactively and pragmatically with all individuals across the area, even if they represent a political party, such as the Labour Mayor in Bristol, the Conservative local council in South Gloucestershire and Somerset, the Lib Dem administration in Bath and North East Somerset, and an independent-led coalition in North Somerset.
Sue Mountstevens is independent because she’s not part of any political party and is fully self-funded, as am I. She has had to deal with very significant budget cuts which has made her role incredibly different. However, despite this her work has been recognised through Avon & Somerset being ranked as one of the best 5 police forces in the country by the independent national police and fire inspectorate.
What’s going to be very different now is the significant investments the Government is making which will enable the PCC to rebuild the force. With the relationships I've built over the last 10 years in the area as well as the knowledge I've gained from speaking with local residents and communities, I am in the best position to build on the work already achieved with key partnerships and use the increased amount of police officers to deliver much improved local policing for local people.
(b) We are asking all candidates this question, but we are particularly interested in the responses from you Mr Smith because you were the Deputy PCC appointed by Ms Mountstevens. This was a flawed process which came under criticism by the Police and Crime Panel. What do you say in response to the findings of the investigation by the sub-panel?
I am strongly committed to transparency, which is the core focus of being Independent. It is important to explain how the process was undertaken and how it fits with the national landscape.
I was indeed appointed to the role of Deputy PCC through an open, fair, and transparent process.
Following feedback from the panel, Sue Mountstevens publicly advertised the role. She also invited anyone who had declared themselves as a candidate in the previous year to apply and the appointment panel was independently chaired by the leader of a local council and the Chair and Deputy Chair of the Police and Crime Panel observed the interviews.
Sue did not have a Deputy previously, but the need arose due to the pandemic and extra work load. The Government has since announced it requires all PCCs to make appointments of Deputy PCCs as they recognise the need to strengthen the service, increase accountability and ensure continuity in the event of unforeseen circumstances.
It’s always been clear under the legislation that the PCC doesn’t have to run a process for appointing a Deputy - there are a number of political party deputies in the country that have been appointed without a process, for example in the West Midlands where the Labour PCC appointed a Deputy without an open process and despite their Police and Crime Panel not being in support of this at all. In Thames Valley, the Conservative Deputy was also appointed without a process and is now running as a PCC candidate without standing down from his Deputy role. I stood down before the pre-election period as I felt that was the most transparent thing to do.
2. During the BBC debate with David Garmston, Mr Smith you said the below in relation to the Bristol protests:
I think there is no need for a public inquiry, I agree with the tactics that have been adopted.
When concerns have been raised about individual officers that in carrying out their duties they have been excessive, I think it’s right that is looked at and I know the Independent Office Of Police Conduct has looked at some cases so I don’t think there’s a need for a further inquiry.
(a) Time was limited for the BBC event. Would you like to expand on the above please?
These were very difficult circumstances for the police to manage, during a period of time where group protests were not lawful and legislation was under continual review in response to a fast-changing situation.
Nevertheless, the police facilitated peaceful protests for several hours and gave several warnings to disperse, so I’m content that the tactics used were appropriate for the unusual circumstances under the Covid-19 regulations. However, as mentioned above, where there are concerns raised about individual officers using excessive force to carry out their duties, I think it's right that this is seriously looked at.
You also said in response to David Garmston:
"No, the police respond to burglary.
Barker: They don’t turn up to every burglary, that was the question, they don’t turn up.
Well, the point I would come back to on Heather’s point is there are a lot less officers over the last four years than there have ever been. Since 2018 when we have been able to increase the number of officers, not through the central government funding but through Council Tax, we’ve reinstated a specialist team, which we only moved away from because of the reduction in numbers and the increase in complex demand. We reintroduced this specialist team, Operation Remedy…
Garmston: Having scrapped it.
Yeah, absolutely, David. And we didn’t want to scrap it but when you have 20% less officers and you have an increase in demand and complex sexual cases, I’m afraid difficult decisions have to be made.
Garmston: But burglary is big crime, isn’t it, it has a terrible impact on families.
Burglary is a big crime and it has been shown with this proactive team, in the first year of operation, burglary is down by 10% and the detection rate doubled, so I agree it’s really important."
(b) Since then, you have tweeted to say that burglary is a terrible crime. Yet you tried to defend a poor response, didn't you? When did you realise that burglary was a terrible crime? Was it only after David Garmston mentioned it, because your response reeked of hubris and complacency?
Burglary has been a priority of mine since the start of my campaign and you will find this in my original manifesto, leaflets and website. I was burgled myself 15 years ago and I know the impact that it can have on individuals and families. I have been releasing policy documents on each of the priorities throughout the last few weeks. The debate did not affect this at all.
(c) In your comments, you also seemed to try to justify the lack of response that is felt by the public from the Police. This is a very common view from the public, against the biased surveys that you and Ms Mounstevens have published, e.g. at the Police and Crime Panel that I spoke at earlier this year. Your views seem very defensive about a poor record, having to rely on HMIC reports instead of public opinion.
Do you feel that you are out-of-touch with public opinion, and if not, what have you done to listen properly to the public? Have you used public PCC resources for your campaign?
I have self-funded my campaign entirely and I am the only candidate who has. I have been very active in getting out in the area and listening to local people’s views and if elected I would continue to do this.
The context of this debate is around the reduction of police officer numbers, and I think it's fair to acknowledge the HMIC independent evidence based reports of Avon and Somerset’s successes as a police force. I care about what local people think and want and I will work hard to build trust between the public and the police and greatly improve the police response to such incidents with the additional resources now being provided.
3. On the BBC, you also said, in an exchange with Mr Garmston and Mr Barker:
"Smith: I think, again, the right thing to do is to compare it nationally. At 8%, that level is caught up…
Garmston: The question is where you put your resources.
Barker: Exactly. But you see, it’s not right to question nationally, the point about it is what service are you providing for the people of Avon and Somerset?
And to say, oh well, we’re as good as North Yorkshire or whatever is not good enough. When we look at the figures that show how bad we are we’ve got to do things differently"
The people of Avon and Somerset do not care about other areas. They care about our area. Again, you came across as defensive of a poor record and full of excuses. Why is this?
In your Twitter response to our question, you do not think Avon should be split from Somerset:
"I don’t see any advantage to Somerset or the Avon area in separating the policing service – it would likely create extra costs at a time when I would want any investment to be spent on improving services. I think my Rural Strategy is best delivered as part of a combined force. I’m always happy to hear ideas of what can be improved though."
(a) Would you agree with me that it is obvious from looking at the budget of Avon and Somerset, that resources are disproportionately sent to Bristol which could be spent in Somerset?
No, I wouldn't agree. The police’s resources are deployed across the area on a threat, harm and risk basis. One advantage of having a bigger force area is that specialist resources can be deployed across a larger area. A number of smaller forces aren't able to retain specialist units. I do not agree that any area is favoured over any other and nor should it be.
(b) You may not realise it having never been an elected representative, but in my experience, people do not vote for a "Strategy". They vote for results. And as pointed out by other candidates including Mr Barker, the record is poor and public opinion is not what is made out by yourself and Ms Mountstevens. I have seen officers try to become elected representatives before and they usually struggle.
Why do you think that you can represent the public when you have only been "behind the scenes" as Chief Exec as Deputy PCC?
In terms of results, the fair analysis is to compare how Avon & Somerset uses its much reduced resources compared to other areas. This is the test that the independent national inspectorate HMICFRS use. On the latest national comparisons, Avon & Somerset is ranked in the top 5 forces in the country, only two other forces have a higher record. Wendy Williams, her Majesty's Inspector of Constabulary in her last commentary on Avon & Somerset's performance stated as follows: "Overall, I congratulate Avon and Somerset Constabulary for its excellent performance over the past year. I am confident that it is well equipped for this to continue."
Here's a link to this commentary https://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmicfrs/peel-assessments/peel-2018/avon-and-somerset/
Of course, there is plenty of room for improvement but any analysis of performance which does not take into account the reduced resources seems flawed and unfair to me.
I believe that my experience leaves me extremely well-placed compared to the other candidates to fulfil this role.
4. Please could you read the article on our website about Mendip district councillors who have not paid their council tax, but who have still remained councillors.
https://www.somerinds.org/2021/04/revealed-two-mendip-councillors-paid.html
(a) Do you think it is right that Councillor Hayden and the unnamed councillor have not paid their council tax?
I believe all citizens should pay taxes that they are due to pay. I am not familiar with the individual circumstances of the councillors and have no comment to make on their cases.
(b) Do you think it is right that they remain as councillors and still vote on matters affecting thousands or even tens of thousands of people?
As above
(c) Do you think it is right that Mendip District has refused to provide us with the name of the other councillor who has not paid?
As above
(d) Would you support our campaign for criminal records (DBS) checks for all councillors, MPs and PCCs?
More information on our campaign is on our website:
https://www.somerinds.org/2020/11/dbs-campaign-latest-mendip-and-taunton.html
I support the requirement for criminal record checks for PCCs.
Your independent PCC candidate for Avon & Somerset
No comments:
Post a Comment
All comments are moderated by Somerset Independents.