A Modern Version of the Village/Community Bobby
The man who is vying to become Staffordshire’s first Police & Crime Commissioner has announced new proposals which he says could see policing in the Tamworth area rooted more in local communities… but with a modern twist.
Matthew Ellis, the Conservative PCC candidate for the 15th November election, believes that police officers need to be more visible than they currently are. He says his policy initiative launched this week gets back, to some extent, to policing the way it used to be when the local bobby policed an area where he or she lived.
Mr Ellis said, “My plan is to recruit between 150 and 200 new Special Constables across Staffordshire. But importantly, rather than being part of a large ‘pool’ of officers who are sent all over the wider area they’d be recruited to police the specific community where they live whether it be rural areas of Tamworth or the town.”
He explained, “It’s not about replacing the PCSOs or Police Officers there already, it is about extra uniformed presence in the community to give reassurance and a sense of permanence for local people.”
Special Constables are fully trained and have the same powers, including arrest, as full time police officers but do it on a part time voluntary basis. Mr Ellis says the local knowledge and stake in the area because they live there would be invaluable and believes that communities will welcome once again seeing ‘the thin blue line’ more obviously than it’s been for years.
“I think the role of Police & Crime Commissioner is about bringing fresh ideas as well as new thinking to make our area safer. It’s also about ensuring every pound of public money is spent more effectively because it’s not just how much is spent but how well it is.”
He is encouraging residents to share their views about the new proposals at www.tellmatthew.org where there is also more information on his key policies and other initiatives such as plans to bring back young Police Cadets to Staffordshire but at no cost to the taxpayer.
