3 minute read
PCC candidate will build success
Independent PCC candidate will build on success to get drug and knife crime numbers down
With knife and drug crime a major concern in Avon and Somerset during recent years, independent candidate in the Avon and Somerset Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) elections, John Smith, pledges to build on successful schemes to get drug and knife crime numbers down if he is elected on Thursday 6 May.
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Illegal drug use and distribution are often a root cause of knife and violent crime. With the age of offenders reducing every year, local residents are becoming increasingly concerned that more young children are being drawn into a world of crime. If elected, John is pledging to put tackling these crimes at the top of his agenda, reduce the number of crimes being committed and make sure they are never normalised in Avon and Somerset.
Commenting, John said: “I would never allow these crimes, especially when committed by young children, to become commonplace in our society. I know from my experience how concerned local people are about these incidents, and I pledge to prioritise reducing these crimes and diverting our young people away from crime if elected.” 8 Specifically, if elected John will:
- Continue to funnel investment into the existing Violence Reduction Units (VRUs) set up in the last year across Avon and Somerset to bring the police together with councils, schools, health colleagues, the voluntary sector and communities to take a long-term, proactive approach to addressing serious violence.
- Increase police enforcement via Operation Remedy, the proactive team set up in 2019 by John and the current independent PCC to tackle knife crime, drugs and burglary, that has already seen a 20% reduction in burglary.
- Maintain early intervention and diversion activities for young people so they avoid getting drawn into crime, with successful schemes that are running across Avon and Somerset continued.
These have included: a project in Taunton with the charity Turning Point to identify and support vulnerable victims of violence; street-based interventions and youth work in city centre parks in Bath; an innovative programme around weapons in schools and work to reduce school exclusions in Bristol; mentoring care leavers in South Gloucestershire;
and a scheme in Somerset identifying young people most at risk of exploitation and offering proactive support. Since August 2019, almost 3,000 young people have been engaged with through these schemes, there has been an 11% reduction in serious violence in Avon and Somerset, a 12% reduction in knife-enabled violence and a 25% reduction in hospital admissions of under 25s with knife injuries. John pledges to build on the success of this activity if elected.
John says: “I know from experience that my two-pronged approach – increasing detection and enforcement rates alongside prevention and treatment actions – really works to reduce these crimes, especially among our young people. If elected, I will make it my priority to continue investment in these successful programmes, continuing to reduce knife and drug crime further.”
He adds: “The PCC role is about more than just policing. Many of the problems the police deal with need many local organisations to tackle them, and I know from experience that the best Police and Crime Commissioners can bring together local services and politicians to best serve local people. This has been very challenging in an era of Central Government funding cuts of 30% over 10 years, but if elected I will lobby to have this lost investment replaced and challenge partners to ensure they work together effectively.”
John is hosting a virtual roundtable event on April 7 with several local charities and organisations in Avon & Somerset to discuss these issues and how to tackle them. The organisations attending include Crimestoppers, Stand Against Violence, Grassroots Communities, Escapeline and WESPORT. Highlights from the event will be posted on social media in due course.
Elections for the Avon and Somerset Police and Crime Commissioner are being held on Thursday May 6. John’s full manifesto can be viewed on https://www.johnsmith4pcc.com/.
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