Labour says police must listen to communities

Police and crime commissioner elections take place on Thursday

Police forces must listen to the communities they serve and do more to tackle anti-social behaviour, shoplifting and domestic violence, a senior Welsh Labour MP has said.

Former minister Nia Griffith said members of the public also wanted “very visible policing”.

She was speaking to BBC Wales ahead of the police and crime commissioner (PCC) elections this Thursday.

Although they do not run policing day-to-day, commissioners set priorities for Wales’ four police forces, and their budgets.

There are four PCCs in Wales – one for each police force area – Dyfed-Powys, Gwent, North Wales and South Wales.

Labour candidates, as is the case with the other three main parties in Wales, are standing in all four posts and currently hold three of them – Gwent, North Wales and South Wales.

Llanelli MP Nia Griffith said: "[The public] want to see police out in our communities.”

Ms Griffith said if Labour were in government at Westminster, they would fund an extra 13,000 police officers across Wales and England.

"In the meantime, what matters is that the priorities of the police and crime commissioner reflect the priorities of our communities, and that is very much about tackling things like antisocial behaviour, attacking things like violence against women.”

On domestic violence, the MP said she was concerned that some cases still weren’t being taken seriously.

“We hear now horrifying statistics every week about how many partners are killed and so forth," she said.

She said PCCs can set a "tone" to ensure "that there is proper reporting and these crimes are taken really seriously".

The MP said she understood that the police were short-staffed, but people needed to be listened to.

”If people don't feel their concerns will be taken seriously, then they're not going to report.

"So what matters is that they do feel that their concern will be given priority. And we all know that smaller things can escalate to bigger things, and things all need to be taken seriously."

Who are the candidates?

Dyfed-Powys

Justin Mark Griffiths - Welsh Liberal Democrats

Ian Christopher Harrison - Welsh Conservative

Dafydd Llywelyn - Plaid Cymru

Philippa Ann Thompson - Welsh Labour

North Wales

Andy Dunbobbin - Welsh Labour

Ann Griffith - Plaid Cymru

Brian Jones - Welsh Conservative

Richard David Marbrow - Welsh Liberal Democrats

Gwent

Donna Cushing - Plaid Cymru

Mike Hamilton - Welsh Liberal Democrats

Hannah Elizabeth Jarvis - Welsh Conservative

Jane Helen Mudd - Welsh Labour

South Wales

Sam Bennett - Welsh Liberal Democrats

George Carroll - Welsh Conservative

Dennis Clarke - Plaid Cymru

Emma Wools - Welsh Labour

Voters will need to show photo-ID to cast their ballot.