Police and Crime Commissioner Elections 2024
Elections for the Police and Crime Commissioner for Thames Valley Police will take place on 2nd May 2024 (at the same time as the City Councillor elections).
This role oversees police priorities, budgets and communications to the public.
The five candidates nominated are:
- Matthew Barber (Conservative and current holder of the role)
- Tim Bearder (Liberal Democrat)
- Russel Fowler (Independent)
- Ben Holden-Crowther (More Police Officers for Thames Valley)
- Tim Starkey (Labour)
Because policing is so important to achieving safe streets and travel, CoHSAT (Coalition for Healthy Streets and Active Travel) has asked each of the five candidates four questions relating to road safety and is reporting their answers on its Police and Crime Commissioner Elections 2024 webpage here, to help people decide who to vote for. Do have a look at this very helpful information.
As covered in our previous post here, a recent public survey run by the Thames Valley Police and Crime Commissioner revealed that speeding or reckless/dangerous driving is both the most experienced crime and is perceived as the biggest local crime issue by respondents.
Yet the current TVP Police and Crime Plan (2021-2025) has minimal reference to road safety and does not include it as a priority. We really hope that the next Police and Crime Commissioner will change this.
In another recent post, we highlighted that Councillor Andrew Gant, the County Council’s Cabinet Member for Transport Management, told the current Thames Valley Police and Crime Commisioner Matthew Barber that more action was needed after the number of people killed or seriously injured on Oxfordshire’s roads rose in 2022 – the first increase for many years.
Thames Valley Police clearly has a vital role in helping Oxfordshire to achieve its Vision Zero aim, but has seemed unwilling to play an effective role under the direction of the current Conservative PCC, Matthew Barber - hence Councillor Andrew Gant's letter to him pleading for more action from TVP to tackle road danger (the letter can be downloaded from the Council's press release here).
As the Police and Crime Commissioner role is so important to utilising police resources and powers to create safe roads, if you want a PCC that prioritises road safety and tackling road violence, make sure you use your vote in the PCC election on 2 May.
Further information on the candidates and election is available on the PCC election website and the Whocanivotefor website.