New PCC pens open letter as she starts in role
14.05.21 - Merseyside
Merseyside's new Police and Crime Commissioner Emily Spurrell has penned an open letter to residents across the region detailing her priorities for the future.
Good afternoon,
I am incredibly proud to be writing to you as I start my new role as Merseyside’s new Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) following the local elections held on Thursday 6th May.
As Merseyside’s elected PCC, my role is to work on your behalf to provide a strong and powerful voice for all of our region's communities, representing your views on how crime is prevented and tackled.
It is an honour to be able to serve my community in this way and I can’t wait to get started.
I would firstly just like to put on record my thanks to Jane Kennedy for her contribution as Merseyside’s first Police and Crime Commissioner and I look forward to building on the work she started.
These last 14 months have brought unprecedented challenges for society at large and, in particular, policing.
Our police officers, staff, Specials and volunteers have been on the frontline throughout the pandemic, keeping our communities safe, often putting their own lives at risk and I am very grateful for all the work they have done.
Merseyside Police is consistently graded as the best performing urban force in England and Wales. That is thanks to the excellent work the men and women of the force do every day.
It is my job to scrutinise the progress of the force and hold the Chief Constable to account on its performance. I will do my best to support them wherever I can and be a champion of the great work they do.
It is also my job to ensure Merseyside Police is properly funded so that the Chief Constable can deliver an effective and efficient service and that money is spent in the areas where it matters most.
It is vital that the police, and our community safety partners, are given the resources and investment they need to keep our communities safe. Policing should not be done on the cheap. One of my key promises is to stand up for Merseyside Police and our region and lobby for the long over-due funding we need from central government.
As PCC I plan to engage with you, the residents of Merseyside, listen to your views on policing and community safety and work with you to improve services.
I know the new Chief Constable, Serena Kennedy, also shares my commitment to community engagement and I look forward to working with her to ensure the needs of our communities are met.
I want all our communities to have a positive relationship with their local police and I will invest in community projects that help prevent and tackle crime and ASB. I will also invest in vital victims’ services to ensure that anyone affected by crime can access the care and support they deserve.
In my manifesto and throughout my campaign, I had three clear priorities:
- Visible and accountable policing;
- Supporting victims and communities;
- Fair and effective criminal justice system.
In the next few months, I aim to build on those priorities by holding a region-wide consultation. This will give me the chance to listen to your policing and community safety priorities, so I can focus my work on what matters most to you.
Your priorities will then be reflected within my Police and Crime Plan for the force and for our community safety partners over the next three years.
Your contribution to the consultation is vital, so please get involved and have your say once it launches.
I am looking forward to getting out and about, visiting every area of Merseyside and meeting as many of you as possible. I want to talk to you about what matters to you and I will use your views to shape my local priorities and how I represent our fantastic region locally, regionally and nationally.
I promise you I will be a strong voice for you, for all our communities and for Merseyside.
Emily Spurrell
Merseyside Police and Crime Commissioner
