PCC election: Labour

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On Thursday, May 2 there are elections for the Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner. Rye News has asked all four candidates for their thoughts on policing in Rye.

Paul Richards – Labour

I am firmly committed to keeping Rye Police Station open. It is vital that there is a
physical presence in the town. Further, I will extend opening hours so the police are more accessible to people in Rye.

My plan for policing in Sussex is based on more police, organised in neighbourhood teams, on regular foot patrol. We know this prevents crime and reassures the public. It was a huge mistake for the Tories to cut 20,000 police from our streets, and no wonder people in Rye hardly ever see a copper, and don’t feel any safer than 14 years ago.

Nine out of ten crimes go unsolved. Looting from shops is out of control – just ask the retailers in the town. Often, the police simply don’t turn up. By recruiting 400 more police and PCSOs if Labour wins, I will improve response times and rebuild trust in the police. I will improve the ways we treat victims of crime and witnesses. All too often criminals get away with it because victims drop out of the system, or witnesses are scared to get involved.

I want to tackle hate crimes, and violence against women and girls. Young people have little to do. I would invest in youth clubs, boxing clubs, green schemes – anything to give the youth a sense of purpose and a safe place to be.

As the Labour and Co-operative candidate, I will come to the job with a fresh approach and a different set of values. I will use the huge police budget to favour local suppliers including small businesses and co-ops. I want to see every inch of land owned by Sussex Police used for affordable housing, community allotments, orchards, and pollinator-friendly plants.

I will introduce participatory budgeting to involve people in Rye in how their cash is spent. Most of all, I will ensure the police crack down on robbery, burglary, domestic violence, shoplifting, and the crimes and antisocial behaviour that blights our community and ruins lives. Tackling rural crime will be central to my plan, with two new rural police hubs in East Sussex.

People in Rye tell me the same thing: it is time for change. By “lending” Labour Co-op your vote on May 2, you can send Sunak a signal that it is time for change.

VOTING INFORMATION

You can find your polling station here: https://www.rother.gov.uk/findmynearest

You will need proof of ID to vote in person, the official Electoral Commission guidance is here:
https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/voting-and-elections/voter-id

Image Credits: Paul Richards .

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9 COMMENTS

  1. Interesting to read the PCC candidates and their views for the future of policing in Sussex and Rye, with only the Labour candidate showing his allegiance for policing in the town, I’m not smitten on Labour’s policies for the forthcoming general elections, but will give my vote to Paul Richards, who has shown his commitment to Rye,if elected on May 2nd.Goodluck Paul.

  2. My query is , as a regular youtube viewer , an advert for yourself – very polished production (quite long) pops up regularly whilst I am watching quite a varied range of (non political) podcasts. How is that allowed ? Where is the funding from? No other candidates seem to have access to youtube, and I am concerned as a non-subscriber to youtube how they appear to know my residential area. I thought there were expenditure limits. It is clearly aimed at voters in Hastings (all references are to the town) so funding might have come from wealthier people in the town, but has anyone else in Rye had the same experience?

  3. Congratulations on your candidacy, Paul.
    If you don’t mind, I’d like to ask how much property Sussex Police own in Rye, beyond the mothballed Police Station? That’s a genuine question, by the way.

    My second question is would that lend itself to “affordable housing, community allotments, orchards, and pollinator-friendly plants”? That also seems slightly beyond the remit of a PCC. You could say the same for “youth clubs, boxing clubs, green schemes”. All admirable ideas, but is that what Police and Crime Commissioners do? Is that where the policing budget should be spent? Sounds good, pre-election, but is that realistic over and above the provision of more beat PCSOs? Bear in mind there’s already a £7m hole in the Sussex Police budget, according to a recent report by the BBC.

    I think we all recognise the impact of shop-lifting, anti-social behaviour, drug dealing and rural crime, and in Hastings and Rye, we want to solve those problems. But we have to be pragmatic and we have to be honest. These problems will not be solved by flashy pre-election promises, with respect. They’ll only be solved by longterm investment in time and money. And money is one of the factors that influences the Lib Dem’s primary policy regarding Police and Crime Commissioners: Get rid of them! Bcs they’re a waste of precious resources. We’d replace them, as Jamie Bennet said, with Police Boards made up of local councillors and representatives from relevant local groups – while investing the savings in frontline policing instead.

  4. Agree with John and Phil. It’s very good to read about someone who knows what the issues are in Rye and has a commitment to the town. Happy to vote for Mr Richards.

  5. Congratulations on your candidacy, Paul.
    I’d like to ask how much property Sussex Police own in Rye, beyond the mothballed Police Station? That’s a genuine question.

    My second question is would that lend itself to “affordable housing, community allotments, orchards, and pollinator-friendly plants”? That also seems slightly beyond the remit of a PCC. You could say the same for “youth clubs, boxing clubs, green schemes”. All admirable ideas, but is that what Police and Crime Commissioners do? Bear in mind there’s already a £7m hole in the Sussex Police budget, according to a recent report by the BBC.

    These problems we face won’t be solved by tantalising pre-election promises, with respect. They’ll only be solved by longterm investment in time and money. And money is one of the factors that influences the Lib Dem’s primary policy regarding Police and Crime Commissioners: Get rid of them! Bcs they’re a waste of precious resources. We’d replace them, as Jamie Bennet said, with Police Boards made up of councillors and representatives from relevant local groups – while investing the savings in frontline policing instead.

  6. May I ask another question, Paul? Local suppliers sounds like a nice idea to boost local business, but what police kit specifically can be sourced locally, in Sussex or in Rye? Again, genuine question. And how does that promote efficiency savings that might be accrued through larger scale procurement contracts and economies of scale?

  7. Rye definitely needs and deserves more visible police and a police station that is open as much as possible. The cuts of the last few years have visibly left the town and surrounding areas more vulnerable to casual crime as well as creating an ideal environment for longer-term, endemic problems such as drugs, organized shoplifting and burglaries, and crimes that target farms and livestock.

    All candidates for a post promise much, but policing is one area where their ability to make good on their promises is glaringly obvious. I would like to see Mr Richards’ plans come true in the shape of police officers on the High Street, especially during our busy summer season.

  8. It’s great to see such great engagement with our next election on these pages. Paul is very knowledgeable on policing, he is endorsed by Christine Bayliss, Labour leader on Rother Council and an ex Police Officer and having met him quite a few times I know how passionate he is about bringing policing closer to communities.
    Just to respond to Marie’s quite understandable concerns about targeted ads, YouTube, Sky, Facebook all have very clever algorithms that target people in various cases such as geographical area, age etc. Each candidate will have fundraised themselves within limits and there is rigorous oversight of budgets.
    I absolutely agree he’s our best candidate!

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