Police and Crime Commissioner marks passing 100 days in office
Clare Moody, Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Avon and Somerset, has marked 100 days in office.
Clare, who was the Labour candidate for PCC, was officially elected on May 2nd and took office a week later.
As part of her 100-day engagement programme, Clare committed to spending at least one full day doing community engagement in every local authority area in Avon and Somerset to meet community groups, learn about the OPCC’s commissioned services and visit some key statutory partners.
Clare’s 100 day-point was at the end of August, and she marked it with the last community engagement day tour of the local authority areas in Bristol, where she met with commissioned services, community groups, community leaders and Bristol South Labour MP Karin Smyth.
Clare said: “I have really enjoyed my first 100 days in office and I feel privileged to represent all the diverse communities of Avon and Somerset in this role as your Police and Crime Commissioner.
“I have visited police teams, community leaders, charities, community interest companies, commissioned services, local authority leaders, statutory partners and business leaders in Bath and North East Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Somerset, North Somerset and finally Bristol.
“It’s been a steep learning curve and there has been so much to take on board, but luckily I am someone who really enjoys being in the detail and I’ve been reading reports, meeting people, having conversations and learning in greater depth about the policing issues faced by communities in our area.
“Meeting the police leaders and many teams in different departments has been invaluable in developing my understanding of some of the challenges we face.
“Getting out and about and meeting people face-to-face in my community engagement days has been brilliant in helping me to understand how much is being done in terms of supporting victims and working with young people to support their futures.
“It’s made me realise just how many excellent individuals there are in key roles and organisations, who are using their roles to really make a difference. I’m very excited about possibility of how we work with those people to support communities.”
PCC Clare is currently running a public consultation and survey on her draft Police and Crime plan and the amount people are willing to pay in an increase to their council tax next year to fund local policing.
Clare said: “It’s important to me get a greater understanding of how I can leverage of my role as your PCC in setting the strategic direction for the Chief Constable and her police service here. I also want to ensure I convene the right partners and communities to work together to improve how we problem solve and work better together. My 100 day engagement programme has helped to do that and now with my consultation I am inviting you to give your ideas on how the police and other partners can deliver against my strategic priorities.
“It’s important to recognise there are perpetual annual challenges for policing. These include summer demand drawing resources from neighbourhood policing, Avon and Somerset Police is also underfunded relatively, compared to other forces nationally. Operation uplift has seen lots of new recruits to the police service, which provides wonderful opportunity for culture change and innovation but I am mindful of the training needs and that a new workforce will still have so much to learn about policing.”
If you want to take part in the PCC’s survey on her draft Police and Crime Plan and local council tax police funding then you can visit the PCC’s website.
On her engagement day on Friday August 30th , PCC Clare visited Barnardo’s Against Child Exploitation (BACE) and met with Assistant Director Duncan Stanway, Service Manager Sinnita Watkins and service delivery practitioners, who talked about a range of intervention and safeguarding work they do with young people at risk of criminal or sexual exploitation. Clare learned all about their award-winning scheme called Night Light which is a partnership between BACE, the One25 Charity and the police.
Clare also met with Andy Street and Changing Tunes CIC to talk about support into employment for prison leavers, to help prevent crime (one of Clare’s priorities in her Plan) through reducing reoffending.
Clare had a positive discussion with Penny Gane, Helen Mott and Sarah O’Leary about the work of the Women’s Commission in Bristol and some of their views on how to tackle Male Violence Against Women and Girls MVAWG (another of Clare’s five priorities in her draft Plan).