PFCC candidates make visible policing a priority

Northamptonshire has about 1,500 police officers

All three candidates hoping to be Northamptonshire's next police, fire and crime commissioner (PFCC) said higher visibility policing was a priority.

The Conservatives, Labour and Liberal Democrats vowed that, if elected, increasing police numbers was key.

In July 2019, the government announced plans to recruit an additional 20,000 police officers in England and Wales by the end of March 2023.

The Home Office set Northamptonshire Police a target of 1,480 officers to be reached by 31 March last year.

When that date arrived, the official headcount for the county stood at 1,519. That is 193 officers per 100,000 population, according to government figures.

William McCann said crimes like burglary should be a priority

The BBC asked people in the county what they would like the PFCC to do, and the visibility of police was a common answer.

William McCann, 70, from Wellingborough, said: "I'd like them to make sure we have enough police on the street.

"When someone gets burgled, it doesn't seem like it's a priority any more."

Abigail Gorgensen wants to see more police on the streets

Abigail Gorgensen, from Long Buckby, said: "We need a greater police presence.

"You used to see a lot of police patrolling the streets, but now you don't see anybody. I don't know what they do now."

What the candidates say

(Left to right) Danielle Stone, Martyn Emberson and Ana Savage Gunn are running for police, fire and crime commissioner for Northamptonshire

The candidates below are listed in alphabetical order by surname.

Conservative Martyn Emberson said: "I am committed to visible policing across Northamptonshire and will be creating a new Police, Fire and Crime Plan in consultation with local people - if I am elected.

"The police and fire service must follow the direction set by the plan, where local people will be able to see more visible policing."

Liberal Democrat candidate Ana Savage Gunn told the BBC: "The government seems to have forgotten that the population has increased and the complexity and severity of crime has increased.

"So we actually need more police officers now to police than we ever have before, and we're not getting that."

Labour candidate Danielle Stone said: "A major pledge from the next Labour government is to create neighbourhood policing hubs, which would be multi-agency hubs, which I fully support.

"Two things we need to do to make sure the police can do their jobs properly - we need public services back doing their jobs properly, so the police aren't the backstop, and we need more police."

The election for the PFCC takes place on Thursday, 2 May.