First female PCCs elected in Wales

Labour candidate Emma Wools is the new PCC for South Wales after serving eight years as deputy PCC, while Jane Mudd has been elected as the new PCC for Gwent.

Ms Wools’ election marks the first change in office in South Wales since the first PCC elections back in 2012. Alun Michael, who held the position for three consecutive terms, confirmed he would not be running for a fourth term earlier this year.

Chief Executive and Monitoring Officer Lee Jones said: “I’d like to congratulate Emma Wools on behalf of the whole team. Emma is no stranger to the office having been the deputy for a number of years.

“Her achievements throughout her career working in criminal justice and during her time as the Deputy PCC are a testament to her passion and commitment to creating a fairer and more effective criminal justice system.

“I very much looking forward to working with Emma as the new PCC.”

Ms Mudd succeeds out-going PCC Jeff Cuthbert, who has held the position since 2016.

She said: “I am immensely proud to be elected by the people of Gwent to be their PCC.

“I would like to thank the other candidates for a fair election campaign. I am particularly proud that alongside me on the ballot paper, there were two other female candidates.

“I am proud to be the first woman ever to be elected PCC for Gwent. I want to say to the residents of Gwent that, whether you voted for me or not, I will work my hardest for you in this role.”

Plaid Cymru candidate Dafydd Llywelyn was re-elected as Dyfed-Powys PCC for his third term while Labour’s Andy Dunbobbin was re-elected as the PCC for North Wales.

Donna Jones has been re-elected for a second term as the PCC for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

Ms Jones, chair of the National Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, said: “I am determined to recruit more police officers, to make sure that everyone who reports a crime gets feedback and that there is a comprehensive crackdown on shoplifting. I will carry on making sure that communities across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight are safer by making increased police visibility a priority, by taking more knives off the streets and providing focused support for victims.

“I will continue to listen to residents, families, businesses and neighbourhoods throughout the two counties, and I will act quickly and efficiently working with the chief constable because the public rightly deserve robust policing and swift justice. These are huge responsibilities and I’m looking forward to getting back to delivering for the people of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.”

In Bedfordshire, Labour’s John Tizard ousted the incumbent Festus Akinbusoye with a majority of more than 5,000 votes. Mr Akinbusoye had been Bedfordshire’s PCC since 2021.

Tim Passmore was re-elected as Suffolk’s PCC, saying it was “a real privilege to serve our county in this role”.

Darryl Preston was re-elected as Cambridgeshire and Peterborough’s PCC having held the post since 2021.

Joy Allen has been re-elected as Durham’s PCC.

Speaking after the declaration she said: “Local people have placed their trust in me and I will repay that trust by redoubling my efforts to prevent crime and ASB, tackle the alcohol and drug issues that underpin so much crime and so many accidents.

“I am determined to continue the work to make our roads safer for all road users.

“I assure everyone, whether they voted for me or not, that I am determined our residents and businesses will receive a quality police service and that victims of crime receive first class support service, tailored to their needs.”

In Leicestershire, Rupert Matthews has been re-elected for a second term as PCC.

Speaking after the declaration he said: “I am honoured to have been re-elected as PCC to serve our diverse community for the next four years.

“I now have been given the opportunity to complete and build upon my mandate to put the law abiding public first and protect victims of crime.

“I look forward to continuing to engage with those I am proud to represent each and every day.”

Lisa Townsend vowed to continue supporting a “back to basics” approach to policing in Surrey after she was re-elected as the county’s PCC. She said:

“Over the last three years, I have listened to what thousands of residents in Surrey tell me they want from their police service. They want our officers doing the job only they can – investigating and solving crime and taking offenders off our streets.

“They don’t want their police sitting in hospitals for hours on end or investigating non-crime hate incidents. They want to see our police teams taking the fight to criminals and focusing on those issues most important to them where they live.

“The chief constable shares my commitment to a ‘back to basics’ approach to policing and I believe that is already starting to pay dividends for our communities.”

Labour’s Nicolle Ndiweni was elected as the new PCC for Derbyshire, replacing Conservative Angelique Foster, while in Avon and Somerset Labour’s Clare Moody replaces Mark Shelford as PCC.

Ms Moody said: “The people of Avon and Somerset have communicated their priorities to me. On my time on the doorstep people expressed that they want to see a greater connection to their local neighbourhood police and for their service to address and reduce violent crime, particularly knife crime and VAWG, and to do all we can to prevent crime.”

Conservative Roger Hirst was re-elected as police, fire and crime commissioner for Essex for a third successive term with a promise for more local, visible and accessible policing to drive down crime and anti-social behaviour.

Alison Hernandez was re-elected PCC for Devon and Cornwall for a third term. She pledged to continue with her work to maintain record police officer numbers, reopen more police stations to the public, expand the award-winning Prisoners Building Homes scheme and continue to work in partnership with other commissioners to crack down on drugs. There will also be a renewed focus on rural crime and anti-social behaviour, she said.

Conservative candidate Ben Adams has been re-elected as the Staffordshire Commissioner for Police, Fire and Rescue and Crime, after beating Labour candidate Alastair Watson and the Liberal Democrat candidate Alec Sandiford.

Mr Adams became Staffordshire Commissioner in 2021, having previously served as a district councillor in Lichfield, county councillor in Tamworth as well as standing as a parliamentary candidate in Stoke-on-Trent.

He said: “I am delighted that residents have backed me again to do what I can to support Staffordshire Police and Staffordshire Fire and Rescue as they continue on their journey to becoming excellent services.

“I have a terrific working relationship with all the officers, fire-fighters, staff and volunteers in the two organisations. I hope they will continue to be as open and frank with me as they have so far. My commissioning team is lean, professional and very effective, allowing us to support thousands of victims and to work with local councils and criminal justice agencies to prevent and reduce crime and anti-social behaviour.

“Addressing many of residents’ primary concerns requires a strong partnership between police and fire and rescue and these community safety partners. I intend to strengthen these relationships and deal with more issues quickly, before they become serious and require a response from the emergency services.

“There has been considerable uncertainty and global instability since Covid. We have seen our health services, particularly ambulance, stretched and increases in vehicle rural and retail crime which have left communities feeling vulnerable.

“I will continue to back Staffordshire Fire and Rescue as they support the NHS, doing whatever we all can to protect the vulnerable. I will also be helping Staffordshire Police to get closer to the communities they serve, to engage even more closely and to keep them better informed about the work they are doing to keep them safe.

“It is a unique privilege to be an elected Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner. The role is constantly challenging, always hard work, sometimes upsetting but very rewarding. I thank the residents of Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire for putting their trust in me again. I won’t let them down.”

These were the first PCC election to use a first past the post voting system. Previous elections allowed voters to express a second preference if their preferred candidate was not elected.

RESULTS

An asterisk denotes a new commissioner or mayor.

POLICE AND CRIME COMMISSIONERS

Avon and Somerset – Clare Moody (Labour)*

Bedfordshire – John Tizard (Labour)*

Cambridgeshire – Darryl Preston (Conservative)

Cheshire – Dan Price (Labour)*

Cleveland – Matthew Storey (Labour)*

Derbyshire – Nicolle Ndiweni (Labour)*

Devon and Cornwall – Alison Hernandez (Conservative)

Dorset – David Sidwick (Conservative)

Durham – Joy Allen (Labour)

Dyfed-Powys – Dafydd Llywelyn (Plaid-Cymru)

Gloucestershire – Chris Nelson (Conservative)

Gwent – Jane Mudd (Labour)*

Hampshire – Donna Jones (Conservative)

Hertfordshire – Jonathan Ash-Edwards (Conservative)*

Humberside – Jonathan Evison (Conservative)

Kent – Matthew Scott (Conservative)

Lancashire – Clive Grunshaw (Labour)*

Leicestershire – Rupert Matthews (Conservative)

Lincolnshire – Marc Jones (Conservative)

Merseyside – Emily Spurrell (Labour)

Norfolk – Sarah Taylor (Labour)*

North Wales – Andy Dunbobbin (Labour)

Northumbria – Susan Dungworth (Labour)*

Nottinghamshire – Gary Godden (Labour)*

South Wales – Emma Wools (Labour)*

Suffolk – Tim Passmore (Conservative)

Surrey – Lisa Townsend (Conservative)

Sussex – Katy Bourne (Conservative)

Thames Valley – Matthew Barber (Conservative)

Warwickshire – Philip Seccombe (Conservative)

West Mercia – John Campion (Conservative)

West Midlands – Simon Foster (Labour)

Wiltshire – Philip Wilkinson (Conservative)

POLICE, FIRE AND CRIME COMMISSIONERS

Cumbria – David Allen (Labour)*

Essex – Roger Hirst (Conservative)

Northamptonshire – Danielle Stone (Labour)*

Staffordshire – Ben Adams (Conservative)

MAYORS

Greater Manchester  – Andy Burnham (Labour)

London – Sadiq Khan (Labour)

West Yorkshire – Tracy Brabin (Labour)

York & North Yorkshire – David Skaith (Labour)*

South Yorkshire – Oliver Coppard (Labour)*