Your Police & Crime Commissioner (PCC) Sue Mountstevens will be your voice, someone you can trust to lead the fight against crime, and someone to hold to account if they don't deliver.
Her role is to represent you and your concerns, ensuring the policing needs of your community are met.
Ms Mountstevens stood as an independent candidate in the election. At the announcement of her success she said: “As your Independent Commissioner I will protect residents and police from political interference. I will reduce crime so you can be safe and feel safe in your community.
"I will be your voice. I will work with the police for better policing. I will make police officers and PCSO’s more visible in your neighbourhoods.
"I will be a fierce advocate on behalf of victims and I will ensure that offenders are dealt with robustly through the criminal justice system and I never forget that it is your money. I will ensure that every pound is spent efficiently, effectively and wisely.”
The PCC will set the direction and the budget for policing.
This involves:
-
Setting the strategic direction and accountability for policing
-
being accountable to the electorate
-
setting strategic policing priorities
-
holding the force to account through the Chief Constable
-
consulting and involving the public
Working with partners to prevent and tackle crime and re-offending
-
ensuring that the police respond effectively to public concerns and threats to public safety
-
promoting and enabling joined up working on community safety and criminal justice
-
increasing public confidence in how crime is cut and policing delivered
Invoking the voice of the public, the vulnerable and victims
-
ensuring that public priorities are acted upon, victims are consulted and that the most vulnerable individuals are not overlooked
-
complying with the General Equality Duty under the Equality Act
Contributing to resourcing of policing response to regional and national threats
-
ensuring an effective policing contribution alongside other partners to national arrangements to protect the public from other cross-boundary threats in line with the strategic policing requirement
Ensuring value for money
-
responsible for the distribution of policing grants from central
-
government and setting the precept raised through council tax
-
responsible for setting the budget, including the police precept component of council tax, and the distribution of policing grants from central government
Impartiality
Sue Mountstevens swore an oath of impartiality on November 21, 2012. The swearing of an oath will be an important symbol of impartiality, emphasising both the significance of this new role in local communities and that PCCs are there to serve the people, not a political party or any one section of their electorate. Read more about the Oath of Impartiality
Pay
The Government’s Senior Salaries Review Board recommended Avon & Somerset’s Police & Crime Commissioner be paid £85,000 a year.
Read more about Commissioner Mountsteven’s
priorities.