A POLICING PROMISE AND PROSPECTUS FOR SUFFOLK

My overarching vision as the Police and Crime Commissioner for Suffolk is one of a safer county and a police service that is open, accountable and outward looking. This is based on decades of living in Suffolk, many years working within the criminal justice services in Suffolk and several months talking with local people.

Whilst I am the Labour party candidate I am not a career politician and think independently. I see the arrival of Police and Crime Commissioners across England and Wales as an opportunity to influence and to improve the safety of our communities. Commissioners represent a new dawn of accountability and transparency of policing activity to local people. They are the voice of the people in Suffolk and will represent all of the people. If elected I promise to ensure all voices are heard.

I will defend visible local policing models in rural and urban areas. I will also defend less visible policing activity, such as those units that work to protect our children and young people from internet crime and sexual abuse. We need a police service that has access to the most up to date resources to allow it to use smart & intelligence led models of policing. We need a service that represents the people it serves and polices all communities fairly. We also need to see agencies working with the police to ensure that victims are placed at the centre of criminal justice services. Victims want to see justice done, but they also want to see rehabilitation work.

People tell me they want a service that is open and transparent and that continues to work with local people and agencies to drive down crime, including anti-social behaviour and positively impact on reoffending. I fully support collaborative working with a range of organisations, but I will ensure the independence of Suffolk Police is maintained and that decisions that are taken have the bests interests of the people of Suffolk as paramount.

The people who work and volunteer for the police service need a Commissioner that listens to them. They need a Commissioner that understands the impact of the cuts, reform and criticism on their morale. They have unique insights into the realities and possibilities and must be listened to. The savage cuts thrust upon Suffolk Police have meant significant numbers of supervisors and managers have been lost. A long serving Constable said “we are replacing leadership with procedure”. Procedure does not solve crime, nor does it make victims feel better and nor does it rehabilitate criminals. I also know from my professional background and time spent within the service that leadership and support to police personnel is vital in times of change.

I will not appoint a Deputy as I think that is an unnecessary cost and will use the resources available to me to reach out across Suffolk. I will not only be based at Police Headquarters but will have several permanent bases across Suffolk, providing regular outreach and accessible surgeries to all Suffolk’s citizens. I will donate £5,000 of my salary to a local charity connected to supporting victims of crime.

Cuts

I stand against the 20% cuts and will campaign for a better settlement for Suffolk when it is announced later this year

It is not yet possible for me to comment on the level of precept, as the Government has not made an announcement on any constraints on this. I will seek to ensure that any increase is fully debated and is only a matter of pence not pounds

I support different ways of generating income such as increasing the income received from criminals under the Proceeds of Crime Act

I will work with, and encourage, Suffolk Police to reduce unnecessary bureaucracy and improve systems and procedures wherever possible to provide the people of Suffolk with the best possible value for money

Privatisation

I am opposed to the idea of private firms like G4S running policing or victims & witnesses services

I will examine closely existing private/public partnerships to ensure they deliver value for money for the people of Suffolk

I will ensure that those private firms with whom Suffolk Police currently partner are Equal Opportunity and Living Wage employers

 

Relationships

I will

·         not interfere with the Chief Constable’s direct operational responsibility and will build a relationship that offers opportunities for mutual challenge and support

·         meet with staff, officers and volunteers and representatives on my own.

·         regularly visit departments/areas unannounced to show support and to make sure I am in touch

 

Victims

I will put victims first, ensuring the following are set out in the policing plan:

·         5 Victim Support pledges and ring fenced funds for independent victims and witnesses services

·         5 point action plan on Violence Against Women & Girls which will include maintaining specialist domestic violence and public protection units

·         Explicit actions in respect of vulnerable victims of crime to include victims of Hate Crime, older people, children and young people, those with disabilities

·         Victim led preventative measures such as Community Resolution and Restorative Justice delivered as appropriate by independent and qualified people

 

Neighbourhood & Community policing

Communities in remote rural areas and in towns have concerns about anti social behaviour, visible policing presence and feeling unsafe. To address this I will:

·        Investigate existing use of police resources & response times and agree with communities a minimum police response time

·         Monitor the allocation of resources to ensure they are deployed in areas of greatest need

·         Protect the number of Police Community Support Officers by reviewing the proposed losses

·         Prioritise the recruitment & training of an increase of at least 10% additional Special Constables

·         Build on existing and develop new partnerships that work to include the voluntary and community sector like Farm & Neighbourhood Watches, Countryside Alliance and others  

·         Review new volunteer led partnership pilot schemes such as the Rural Policing Unit and roll out across rural areas

 

  

 

Accountability

I will provide funding to allow communities to influence and deliver change and as a result provide more  efficient and responsive policing services across Suffolk to include:

·         Victim led scrutiny forums (specialist and general)

·         Youth led advisory panels

·         Independent 3^rd Party reporting centres for complaints against the police

·         Community consultation forums/panels ( to include a focus on a) Business Community b) Stop and Search)

·         New ways of providing accessible information to the public to include social media and regular open forums with local media

 

 

Working with others

Many other agencies have responsibility for crime reduction, disorder, community safety and rehabilitation such as Courts, Probation, Prisons, Health, Housing, Local Authorities etc. I will create new and challenging partnerships to make Suffolk safer to include a more equal relationship with grass roots voluntary and community sector groups. Priorities will include working with others on:

·         Identification of the level and numbers of people with mental ill health coming into contact with the police and provide solutions

 

·         Partnering experts and being open to evidence of new strategies that work locally, nationally and internationally

 

·         Strategic and independent analysis of the implications of and opportunities presented through the current collaboration with Norfolk

 

 

Jane Basham

Labour Candidate

Suffolk Police and Crime Commissioner

October 22nd 2012

 

(Promoted by John Cook on behalf of Jane Basham both at 33 Silent Street IP1 1TE)

HANDS OFF STOP & SEARCH?

LETTER PUBLISHED EAST ANGLIAN DAILY TIMES
9TH OCTOBER 2012

The article ‘Stop and Search figures revealed’ Wednesday 3^rd October revealed the considerably different approaches to the Police and Crime Commissioner role by myself and my Conservative opponent.

In saying ‘stop & searches are a matter for the police and not one the PCC would be involved with’ he shows himself to be a 'hands off’ Commissioner. I will be a 'hands on' one, because that is what people are voting Commissioners in for. We are being elected by the people to bring the voice of all the people into policing, regardless of political colours. I will provide clear political leadership whilst defending our police service for the safety of the people of Suffolk. I will defend too, those working within the service, whom I have pledged to meet on my own.

Stop and Search is not an issue of no consequence to Commissioners. Rather it is a strategic matter that goes to the heart of trust and confidence by all communities in our police service. To the heart too of the policing by consent model that places our police service as the envy of many others. It is also significant as it relates to use of resources. 9 out of 10 people who have the humiliating experience of being stopped and searched are innocent members of the public like you or I.

Commissioners are technically commissioning Chief Constables to deliver policing and community safety services to the people of Suffolk. I believe Commissioners have an important role in ensuring resources are used efficiently and I know many of you in rural and urban areas are concerned whether we have the right balance. Less time spent stopping innocent members of the public in Ipswich may mean we are able to redirect resources to tackle crime in more rural areas for example.

I differ from the Conservative candidate in two other key areas. I will be challenging this Government on the savage 20% cuts they are wielding on a small police service like Suffolk and arguing for an improved settlement next year, whereas he will simply cheerlead the cuts through. On privatisation we differ too. I think the people of Suffolk should be very concerned to hear that my Conservative opponent is not opposed to commissioning policing services from outside bodies – organisations like G4S perhaps who so botched the Olympic security arrangements?

I know people are concerned about this role bringing politics into policing but in my experience they are already there. I am not a career politician but have the skills & background to do the job, which includes unique senior management experience within Suffolk Police. I do believe though that this role can offer political support to the Chief Constable and our police service at a time when it is much needed. 

 

Jane Basham

Labour Party Candidate

Suffolk Police and Crime Commissioner

HOB NAIL BOOTS...

Successful policing and reductions in crime rarely happen without crucial cooperation between professionals and volunteers. Our officers in uniform may be second to none, yet without the back up they rely on from volunteers they would often be frustrated and less effective.

Volunteers are so varied they’re difficult to count as a single group. They’re householders helping to set up a Neighbourhood Watch; pub landlords working together to keep licensed premises safe; victim support groups using first hand experience to help others; Special Constables; campaigners for improved road safety; lawyers working pro bono to provide access to justice that would otherwise be denied and many, many more.

 

 All help make our communities work better and for the benefit of all.

Having been a volunteer and helped run a voluntary organisation, you might expect me to support the so-called ‘Big Society’ ideas promoted by Cameron's coalition.
 

Well, yes and no – in that order.

Direct experience of the difference that volunteers can make for others, not just to crime reduction, convinces me we’d lead poorer lives without them. I take no persuading of their value. When you work alongside them, it’s soon clear that, however humble the task, what they do is more than just a job.

Local and national, charities, campaign groups, trade unions and reformers have one thing in common; they run on effort and time given freely. They form a vital thread running through civilised society. They deserve our thanks and recognition. The Games Makers at the Olympics are a fantastic example of this.

 

They’ve brought change and improvement that, fortunately, we can take for granted – everything from free family planning advice to rights at work, from hospital transport to the army reserve, the protection of natural environments to looking after our historic buildings.

Work on issues like these was first started, campaigned for or provided, not by people doing it for money, personal gain or fame. It was usually by those driven by unwavering convictions; that what they were doing was right and much needed by others.

They’re often pioneers, leading the way in innovation, changing minds, offering fresh outlooks, setting new norms and standards - think HIV awareness, Women's Aid, international debt relief - even promoting healthy eating.

That’s why I'm so sad to see the damage this Government’s doing under Cameron’s slogan of “Big Society” and determined to change it.

 

Volunteers are called on to step in when vital services are deliberately withdrawn.  Many charities are being turned into businesses, to deliver what were previously public services; multinational private companies exploit others to ‘sweeten’ their bids for profitable government contracts. 

Local voluntary sector groups, grant-aided by councils, face a squeeze on funding.  For too many youngsters, doing for free what was previously paid work is becoming the only route into employment.   Basic rights, of the poorest among us, to nutrition and shelter are no longer guaranteed and are becoming ever more dependent on charity.

 

These are not simply questions of cash and resources, they’re matters of political choice and priorities.

Just last year Suffolk Conservatives decided to scrap school crossing patrols to save £170,000, despite having £millions tucked away.  If people were concerned about road safety outside schools, volunteers would step in, That was their thinking.

In the face of countywide protests they eventually backtracked. “The pain probably wasn’t worth the gain on this one” said their leader - though crossing patrols have since gone down by a third.

 

I think their cynicism with children’s crossings forfeited their right to speak credibly to the people of Suffolk about both community safety and the value of volunteers. Regardless of the risks to schoolchildren, had there not been a public outcry, they’d have been happy to get away with it.

Regrettably, that's the reality of the Conservative's 'Big Society', the part I oppose and resist; it isn't a voluntary sector that I recognise, want to be part of and to promote.

Nor is it, I’m pleased to hear from many of our valuable volunteers, one that they want to promote either. Do you?

BUT I KNOW WHEN I'VE HAD ENOUGH....

November’s  elections & candidates for Police and Crime Commissioners are getting some really bad press.  As you might expect in a political campaign, views of candidates on the ‘hot’ issues – spending cuts and privatisation in particular-  are sharply conflicting.  It worries me, given the broad role intended for Commissioners, all the negative hype, and the tendency of media coverage to focus on conflict, that voters will have little chance  to understand much about the people behind those seeking election.

Of course I care about keeping Suffolk safe and protecting all citizens of Suffolk from crime. These words will inevitably trip off the tongue of many candidates, simply replacing ‘Suffolk’ with their own county. But how do my experiences and values make me as capable a candidate as others and – dare I say it – even better than some?

During the freezing months earlier this year, I was privileged to work as a volunteer providing a warm and safe place for those of ‘no fixed abode’. Last year 12 people who had no home died prematurely in Ipswich. Two of these were the victims of a brutal murder. Statistically if you are homeless you are far more likely to die in your 40’s. That’s a life expectancy that takes us back to Victorian times and one that, in a modern developed nation like ours, I find unacceptable.

 

Whilst volunteering I met a man who was 42 (let’s call him Aleksandrs) but who looked twice that age. He came to us unable to speak initially. I understood this was due to a mix of having been waiting in the freezing weather for our shelter to open and having drunk excessive amounts of alcohol.

He cried with pain and desperation  as he removed one of his shoes to show a badly infected foot. The action of removing his shoe was made virtually impossible by his hands that were red and black with cold and gnarled with what appeared to be arthritis.

He held my hand and repeated the words ‘dirty, dirty, dirty’ - gesturing to his shabby clothes. His English was broken and I gave up with the ‘risk assessment’ I had been trained and instructed to undertake, going back to it later. Instead we made him coffee and gave him some time to defrost a little.

 

I started a shaky conversation with him and gradually he gave me a small plastic bag with a bundle of papers in it. Here there were two seperate discharge documents from Norwich Prison. Here too was what looked like a passport. On closer inspection it was a fisherman’s licence from Latvia that allowed him to travel from port to port. The face that beamed out from the tattered document I shall remember always.

Looking directly at me was a handsome and certain young man. His head of hair was full and shiny black. His shirt was white  and it contrasted sharply with his crisp suit, jacket and tie. This image was a lifetime away from the man in front of me with his gnarled hands, scuffed shoes and dirty clothes.

I felt a connection with this man. The connection was through the sea. My late father had been in the Navy and  we scattered his ashes from the bailey bridge at Southwold. I looked again at the date of birth on the fishermans licence and thought then he could have been my brother or my cousin. I thought that of course he was certainly someone’s son.

 

I wondered, what had led him to this? Why he was now in Britain a lifelong alcoholic with no home? I reflected on who he had perhaps been and what was his personality? Of his journey within a system that, for some people, creates a cycle that they cannot escape. Living rough; perhaps being drunk & disorderly on the street; getting arrested and imprisoned. On release the cycle begins again: a waste of his life first and, of course, our services second.

This tells you a little about me.

As Commissioner I will face some real challenges.  Commissioners will be the local ‘fall guys’ for spending  cuts. These include cuts to services like the police, but also to drug and alcohol services, to prisons, to mental health care providers, probation & to charities providing support for people like Aleksandrs.

 

 

As the Commissioner, I’ll have some tough decisions to make.  

What’s important though, is that the people of Suffolk should  know that at the centre of my decision making will be consideration and  empathy for  those who live a life a million miles away from  my own; a million miles away perhaps from most of us in Suffolk.

My decisions will not be taken in isolation and  they will never condone criminal & unsocial behaviour and its impact on people. I will consider and  challenge how partnerships and services currently work.  How effectively partnerships include agencies such as health and housing services. Vital to this is the grass roots voluntary, community & social enterprise sector.

This sector is often best placed to be there for lost souls like Aleksandrs, passing no moral or social judgement on the reasons for him being where he is today. There with their advice; with a warm space; with donated food & clothes. There with a desire to help people turn their lives around to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour through their sense of humanity.

That’s the sort of Commissioner I want. One whose strategic vision never loses touch with the realities of the lived lives of all people; the causes of crime & the importance of preventing reoffending.

What sort do you want?

 

 

 

VOTE IS NOT A YES OR NO

LETTER PUBLISHED IN BURY FREE PRESS FRIDAY 31 AUGUST

..in response to one published the week before urging people to vote 'no' to Police & Crime Commissioners

 

Andrew Donovan ('Jobs for the boys?’ letter 24 August) was slightly wide of the mark about Police & Crime Commissioner elections. I'm not an ex-politician and I've never been a councillor. Nor am I a 'boy', but I plan to stand for election this November.

I'd prefer that the cost of the elections was devoted to keeping and improving frontline police numbers but that's not my decision. The elections will happen and my job is to offer the people of Suffolk a real choice when they cast their votes.

I oppose the privatisation of police work and the cuts to their funding. I'll do my level best to protect local communities from both. ‘No change’ is no longer an option – it’s not a ‘yes or no’ vote.

I have a unique combination of experience at a senior level, both in the police service and the voluntary sector, with a track record of making public services accountable to all local people without fear or favour. I'll work with any willing partner that shares my objective of driving down crime and re-offending.

The Commissioner job is full-time and pays £70,000 p.a. and I have pledged to donate a proportion of the salary to charity. Costs will be met from switching funds from the present Police Authority structure which will go.

Jane Basham
Suffolk Police & Crime Commissioner Candidate
Labour Party

FLAWS .....

Many people – not just political opponents – have asked why the Labour Party, having opposed the creation of the Police and Crime Commissioner job, is now working full on to ensure that Labour candidates are elected.

It’s a fair question.

The simple answer is that our supporters and members are unwilling to give other political parties a free ride to positions of local influence and power over issues that matter to everyone.

We’d have preferred the estimated £100m cost of the changes go to fund 3000 police officers.

But there’s more to it than that.

Laws and regulations to bring in elected Commissioners for Police and Crime are flawed and they’re beginning to show.

Some were clear from the outset. Holding an election in the middle of November, rather than early May - when regular local elections take place – will, predictably, mean fewer people voting. It exposes as hollow Conservative claims to champion localism that they opted to have an election when dark winter days can be expected to reduce turnout.

 

Elections are about choice – that’s why candidates in UK parliament and European elections have an election leaflet setting out their policies delivered free to each household. Yet despite having a local electorate many times greater than any MP, this will not apply to Police and Crime Commissioners.

In many areas, people with the chance to read policy leaflets from all candidates standing in their area may be the lucky few.

The Coalition says it wants to make the priorities and costs of policing and crime more accountable to the public in each locality.  Yet they’re content to sacrifice electors entitlement to make an informed choice.

 At the same time – if turnout is low – they’ve weakened the mandate that anyone elected to represent local people needs.

 

….and more flaws

Three would-be Police and Crime Commissioners have already stood down, exposing once again how the Coalition fails to think through and implement their plans competently.

Falklands hero and former Welsh guardsman, Simon Weston withdrew when it emerged that a criminal conviction – a £30 fine he received as a 14 year old for being a passenger in a stolen car could disbar him.  He has consistently claimed that he didn’t know the car was stolen at the time but was advised to plead guilty.

 

Bob Ashford who had Whitehall security clearance and has worked as a director of the Youth Justice Board for 10 years has withdrawn after being told that two fines (of £2 and 10 shillings) he received for trespassing and possession of an offensive weapon as a 13 year old, mean he’s disqualified. He claims he never touched the air rifle which belonged to the boys he was with, was interviewed without his parents present and, again, was later advised to plead guilty in court.

 In 1965, Alan Charles was given a year’s conditional discharge for a non-violent crime as a 14 year old.  He’s the Vice-Chair of Derbyshire Police Authority.  He was advised he was disbarred to stand for election - but has subsequently been reinstated as a candidate.

Regardless of their politics, all are able, high quality candidates, with strong track records of public service and good prospects of success. In Simon Weston’s case it was ‘getting into bother’ that directly led to him joining the Welsh Guards as a 16 year old and serving his country in combat.

Then the Home Office confirmed that a juvenile conviction for imprisonable offences – nearly 50 years ago - bars people from becoming a police and crime commissioner.

People who were not imprisoned yet now they won’t even make the starting line – sad, unnecessary and discouraging.

Sadder still is what this says about the attitude of many legislators – across all parties - to young people about crime and rehabilitation.

These three people are living proof that perhaps a shaky start in life doesn’t have to lead to a life of crime. They’re three people whose personal experience and insights on the troubled years of teenagers offers immense value in helping youngsters to flourish.

Despite successfully turning around their circumstances and contributing, as volunteers, to improving the lives of their fellows, they’re still labelled as unworthy for public office.

That’s disgraceful.

We need a criminal justice system with institutions and policies that support and encourage what these 3 former candidates have done with their lives - not pointless lifelong penalties.

To help bring that about is just one reason I’m offering myself as a candidate.

 

 

GIVE THESE ELECTIONS A CHANCE!

LETTER SENT TO THERESA MAY HOME SECRETARY
(PART OF THE ELECTORAL REFORM SOCIETY CAMPAIGN)
24th August 2012

November’s Police and Crime Commissioner elections are set to be a disaster. The Electoral Reform Society has predicted a record low turnout of 18.5%. Here in Suffolk in the May local elections we saw low voter turnout between 20% to 25% Quite simply, if the people elected to reconnect the public and the police do not represent local people, what is the point of having them?

As the Labour PCC candidate in Suffolk I & my Labour colleagues have been actively knocking on doors and attending street stalls to raise awareness over the last few months.We have been promoting the use of postal votes and taking our responsiblity for raising awareness in the name of democracy very seriously.

 In addition to this I have been getting letters published & using Social media to inform as widely as I am able to. The majority of those I speak to know nothing about it. I believe in the concept of a democratic mandate, particularly in relation to accountability to local people by the police service - but local people need to be informed in order to make informed decisions.

I know a publicity campaign is planned but it will be a generic one & I am anxious that not everyone will be targetted - including those who have the most interest in how they are policedand/or when victims of crime. I am seeing websites being set up that declare themselves as the place where candidiates should place their information. This along with the responsiblities of the Electoral Services Commission, may only end up fragmenting information & ultimately confusing the electorate.

There is still time for change. We need to see:   
 
• Candidates of all parties and independents being given the opportunity to make their case to voters. The Electoral Commission recently announced they would send a mailing to every household to let people know the elections are taking place. It is simply common sense to include local information on candidates so that people know who they can vote for.

• Public Service Broadcasts. We know political broadcasts boost turnout, they should be part of the government’s package of awareness raising.

• May Elections. The Government must pledge never to hold a major election in the winter again. You can improve turnout and reduce costs in one fell swoop.

Whilst all political parties agreed there was a need for police reform, this is not necessarily the right way to go about engaging people to buy into a reform that will fundamentally change the policing & community safety landscape forever. Your government led the call for elected Police Commissioners so I urge you to bring your vision to life to local people by doing these 3 things.

CONTACT: www.electoral-reform.org.uk