Candidates vie to be Lincolnshire's new police and crime commissioner

Duties include appointing the chief constable and setting the police and crime plan

The role of police and crime commissioner (PCC) for Lincolnshire is up for election.

There are five candidates vying for the role, which was introduced in 2012 in a bid to reform policing.

Duties include appointing the chief constable, setting the police budget and deciding how much council tax precept to charge.

The PCC is answerable to the public and is responsible for setting the police and crime plan.

While the job of running the force on a day-to-day basis is down to the chief constable, the PCC is in charge of setting the overall strategic direction.

The commissioner is also expected to maintain safety within the community and reduce crime through means such as outreach programmes, including knife-crime prevention workshops.

The role was introduced under the Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government.

This year's ballot is on 2 May - the same day as the local elections.

The candidates below are listed in alphabetical order by surname:

David Dickason - English Democrats

Mr Dickason is a retired senior police officer with experience of policing, budgets and managing serious incidents such as terrorism.

He wants to improve the "operational effectiveness" of Lincolnshire Police by making sure money is spent on front line policing and not on "politically correct" projects.

Peter Escreet - Reform UK

Mr Escreet was educated in Grantham and has worked in cyber security for most of his career.

He believes the role of PCC can "make a difference" for Lincolnshire but said policing in the county needs to "change drastically" and wants to "get the confidence of the public back".

Mike Horder - Labour Party

Mr Horder joined the RAF when he was 16 and went on to serve in the police for 26 years.

He feels local policing exists in "name only" and wants to lobby the government for better funding for the county to make neighbourhood policing a priority.

Marc Jones - Conservative and Unionist Party

Mr Jones is the current PCC and has held the position since 2016.

His priorities for the force include increasing anti-social behaviour patrols, maximising officer numbers and making the police "more visible" in the local community.

He also wants to free up "thousands of policing hours" to get officers back on the streets.

Lesley Rollings - Liberal Democrats

The current deputy leader of West Lindsey District Council has lived in Lincolnshire for 33 years and has also worked as a teacher and as a district councillor.

She wants to restore police into the local community and improve communication between the force and victims of crime.