44 days to go - time to start blogging ...

It’s the 1st of October and just 44 days before the election in which you will choose Gloucestershire’s first Police & Crime Commissioner.   I think it’s about time I started to keep you up to date with what I’m up to, what I stand for, my thoughts and what voting for me, an Independent, would mean.

Firstly I’m not a politician; I never have been and never will be.  I strongly believe these elections should be about policing for Gloucestershire and reducing crime not even remotely about party politics.  It’s true I think that the police authority had become stale, but I also think anyone standing for commissioner should be been resigning their party membership. If a party politician is elected he or she will be the only person in the entire Gloucestershire Police who is allowed to be politically active; can that be right?

Today the Gloucestershire Police invited all candidates to a  briefing at their HQ.  Victoria Atkins (Con) and Alistair Cameron (LibDem) were there but no sign of Rupi Dhanda (Lab) or the Badger Party.

Police gave a good briefing and are trying really hard not to show any bias; it would be interesting to see how they will maintain this if a political party takes control.

My team are working on the final draft of the manifesto and are totally brilliant.  

I think my biggest challenge will be getting my message heard, but there is nothing on earth that would make me stand for a political party or take funding from any pressure group. I’m committed to keeping party politics out of the police here in Gloucestershire.

I hope you will follow my blog.

Thanks 

Martin