Listening to public needed to restore trust - PCC

Dan Price was elected as Cheshire PCC for Labour in May

Listening to the public is the key to rebuilding trust in policing, Cheshire's Police and Crime Commissioner has said.

Labour's Dan Price, who was elected in May, is setting up citizens' assemblies as part of his plans to engage with people.

He has unveiled his four-year police and crime plan, which sets out a PCC's priorities for the force.

As well as listening to residents' views, the plan also focuses on reducing crime and modernising.

"The economic diversity of the county is quite significant and the pressures in different parts of the county are very different," he said.

"We've got nine local policing units and each of those is effectively run like its own police department and I want each of those to have a citizens' assembly so the public in that area can devise what the priorities are."

Cheshire Police's latest inspection report is due to be published in January.

Mr Price said he felt the force was "performing well" and he had built a good working relationship with the chief constable.

The PCC wants to hold Citizens' Assemblies in each area of Cheshire

The first of the citizens' assemblies has been held in Crewe and Mr Price said he was "optimistic" about the sessions.

"We've got people across the spectrum of society in a room but we also have people who have very high levels of trust in policing and people with no trust in policing," he said.

"By the design, those people around the same table thrashing out the issue that is in front of them are coming up with solutions.

"That conversation can't be an echo chamber, it has to have the difference of opinion of society in that discussion and that's what we're getting."

He said he felt the assemblies were an important way to listen to residents.

"Across the country, the public trust in policing is falling," he said.

"I think a lot of that stems from incidents that have happened in the Met, but if we're going to rebuild that trust we've got to be listening to the public."