Gwent’s new Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Jeff Cuthbert has said he will be “inclusive” during his term in office and that he will try and raise the profile of the job.
The Labour politician, who stood down as Caerphilly AM, is due to be sworn in as PCC on May 12 and succeeds Ian Johnston in the role.
Mr Johnston, who was elected in 2012 as an independent, decided not to seek re-election.
Mr Cuthbert said: “I would like to thank the other candidates for the contest which was conducted in a spirit of friendship and a concentration on the broader issues around policing.
“I would also like to thank the incumbent Ian Johnston for the firm foundations he has laid for the role of Police and Crime Commissioner in Gwent.
“I intend to be an inclusive commissioner and I want to work effectively with all sections of the community. I look forward to working closely with the Chief Constable, Jeff Farrar, so that the principles of social justice which I stand on become the cornerstone of policing in Gwent.
“What I hope to achieve over the next four years is to reverse the position which was found by an opinion poll only a few months ago whereby only one person in ten in the whole of Wales knew that PCCs even existed.
“That is something in a democracy we cannot have. I am determined to reverse that position over the next four years and ensure that people understand the real value of this post.”
Mr Johnston has already had a “handover” meeting with Mr Cuthbert and wished his successor well.
He said: “It has been a huge privilege and an honour to serve the people of Gwent as Commissioner.
“The decision not to stand for a second term was a difficult one for me to make but I am confident that I am leaving behind a force which is in very good shape in the capable hands of Chief Constable Farrar.
“This is reflected in how the Force has been continually praised by inspectors for the improvements it has made over the last two years. I would like to wish Jeff Cuthbert all the best for the next four years.”
This appointment should not stand, voters were virtually conned into voting for something they were ill informed about and did not agree with, the majority will have put an X in the Labour box without even reading who they were actually voting for, the post of PCC should not be aligned to a political party.
The public are not stupid, but there are those who cannot accept the democratic will of the people .
No not all of them are stupid, it was still an underhanded way of electing somebody to an unpopular post, an unexpected sideshow to the main event, how many people even knew that they were going to be asked the question before they entered the polling staton, very few from the news reports, and those who voted for Labour in the main event as is their democratic right will have automatically voted Labour again for the PCC whether it was Jeff Cuthbert, Homer Simpson, Donald trump or a bucket of manure that was standing as a Labour candidate for the post of PCC, the police should not be politicised.
Clearly, Jeff Cuthbert was elected by the people of Gwent to represent them as the Police and Crime Commissioner. your logic is wrong, in fact all those who voted for him clearly intended to, otherwise the ballot papers would be void. We have also been told that thousands of vote were voided because of irregularities that means they did not count for Jeff Cuthbert, it also
suggest that his 26.000 plus majority could and should have been much higher.
Those who voted Jeff Cuthbert were clear in thier intentions, otherwise they would have voted differently. It was not a political vote at all.
He was, without question the best candidate, he has the right and best credentials, and he will prove that he truelly represents the people, even you Paul.
Jeff Cuthbert also has decades of public service under his belt representing the communities of the county in one form or another, and of high government office, I don`t remember you being so vocal when the last Commissioner was elected on just a street full of votes.
If the new commissioner is to alter the way things are run in the offices of the Police Commissioner, and to properly represent the people who elected him, he will have to tackle a very tricky problem which is the issue of the people already employed in his office as gatekeepers or functionaries, that is the most difficult first job if he is effect any imrovement in the eyes of the public.
The only point I was quite poorly trying to make is that on the ballot paper there were 3 options for the post of PCC – Plaid, Conservative, Labour. Now naturally as it’s a Labour safe seat around these parts the majority voted for a Labour PCC regardless of who the actual candidate was, so they first and foremost voted Labour NOT Jeff Cuthbert. The post of PCC should not be held by a political party, labeling each candidate with a political party only skews the vote – naturally Jeff Cuthbert was going to win because he’s Labour and that’s the party the majority were always going to vote for, had you stood as the Labour PCC candidate instead of Mr Cuthbert you would have won with the same majority because the voters vote for Labour not you as an individual. Jeff Cuthbert did not win the PCC election – Labour did. No I didn’t vote, I was one of those who refused to vote for any of them because I don’t agree that any politcal party should hold this position.
I agree completely with your assessment of this situation. The only thing I did differently to you was to vote for a conservative commissioner in order to counteract what I knew would be the outcome. Again we are being led by the nose up the garden path.
You my friend may have been led up the garden path, the rest of those who voted, particularly for Jeff Cuthbert did so in the certain hope he would get elected, and they were rewarded.
Do you remember the name of the Tory Candidate without looking it up on the WWW. noone else does.
No I do not remember his name and nor do I care to look it up, I protest voted. I thought that clear in my first vote, a thousand apologies for not making it so.
Ref your response to this ex-nationalist bloke, ( or lady) You can`t remember his name,? I am not surprised SHE, Actually, was a WOMAN. It was NOT possible to vote by party, it was down to the credablility of Candidates and Jeff Cuthbert, by name and reputation WON.
Each candidate was representing a party or was at the very least, party affiliated. I voted for the candidate that wasn’t labour or plaid as a protest vote. I care not for the position and chose on the basis of PROTEST! Do I have to explain myself in ever more detail or will you continue to persist in this arbitrary narrative?
I will certainly not persist, particularly in seeking you to explain yourself, I was simply pointing out that the post is an elected one and free of political influences, and of course a PROTEST vote in that election is a wasted vote.
you are happy you wasted you vote, so be it
“Free of political influences” are you kidding me? Let me guess on the book shelf behind your computer is a copy of 1984. It is a work of fiction, written in order to warn people and not a how too manual.
I agree with Paul aswell.
No disrespect to Jeff Cuthbert who is very capable but the whole thing was a fiasco. The way it was handled only confirms that If you had a monkey standing for election in a red labour shirt for the assembly or for PCC they would win that is why we then land up with a “like it or lump it” system.
I wish Jeff well and I hope he does a better job than Carwyn et al, in the assembly.