Rural policing priority for Conservatives in election

The Police and Crime Commissioner elections take place this Thursday.

Although they do not run policing day-to-day, commissioners set priorities in 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.

David TC Davies said: “Although crime has fallen across the United Kingdom, it’s still too high, and we’ve come up with a fantastic team of candidates who are going to be there to support the police, but also support the victims of crime and make sure that crime falls further.”

“The role of the PCC is to hold chief constables to account, and to ensure that the policing priorities reflect the needs of the area. So we’ll be looking at, for example, making sure that the police are stationed in rural areas, because we’ve got crime hot spots in rural areas.”

He added: “Having somebody there who understands that, who understands the needs of the local community, is important for ensuring that a good service is offered.”

Asked about the cuts to police forces during the Cameron government, Mr Davies said there are more police officers now than there were in 2010.

“We’ve increased the number of police officers, and we’ve looked carefully at issues like ‘stop and search’, and we’ve come forward with policies now that give police officers the powers that they need.

“As a result of that we’ve seen a fall in violent crime. So I think people can trust the Conservatives and will know that the Conservative Party is the party of law and order.”