21/10/2012 Sunday Politics East


21/10/2012

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Here in the east, we're in Stevenage, on the beat with the

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community, and giving them the chance to put their concerns over

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Apology for the loss of subtitles for 2288 seconds

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crime to their candidates for Good morning. Whereat Vincent

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Motorcycle Club at the Hyde in Stevenage -- we are at. It looks

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quiet now, but this week a dispersal order has been put in

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place covering the same area, to prevent groups committing anti-

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social behaviour. We have invited an audience who have the

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opportunity to put some questions to the three police and crime

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commissioner candidates for heart for Archer. Elections take place on

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November 15th. -- for Hertfordshire. We have Sherma Batson, David Lloyd

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and Christopher Townshend. Theresa May has talked about how the police

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and crime commissioner should be a local voice for local people. How

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were you planning to connect with local people? This is a huge

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opportunity to engage with communities. The police and crime

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commissionaire is the voice of the community so it is important for

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them to get out there, listen to the views command and listen to

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people's experiences. We are engaging already through the

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electoral process. Yesterday I was out in my constituency talking to

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people out there. On a more formal basis it will be bringing together

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partners, speaking to those who have already been elected to

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councils, people in health. But making sure we have regular

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meetings, to meet local people. am a local borough councillor, I

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knock-on people's doors, speak to local media. Communicating to

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people would be my key. Back to that dispersal order over

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this area, the Hyde and Stevenage. We explain what that means and some

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of the problems which have caused When it was built in the 1950s, the

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Hyde was part of a bright new future for Stevenage. These days

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the shops and flats have seen better days and the Hyde has been

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plagued by anti-social behaviour. This man lives are one of the flats

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with his partner. Just everything from them kicking the ball up the

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wall, I had my bike stolen a few weeks ago. Kids' comedy -- children

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and constantly screaming and throwing abuse. Sometimes the

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police can take up to 24 hours to deal with the situation.

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Hertfordshire police are quick to point out that crime across

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Stevenage is falling, but this week they placed a dispersal order on

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McColm two. -- on the Hyde. If anyone with a ban returns to be

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area they have the power to arrest the individual for a complete --

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for failing to comply with the ban. Their head teacher at the nearby

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school says he is not aware of his pupils being involved in anti-

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social behaviour. We obviously taken interest in what happens

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after school, but it is difficult to apply your set of rules and

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standards. We have a very clear expectation of behaviour in the

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school, the students are well behaved, but we often wonder how

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their behaviour is after school when they have not quite so many

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rules. If they are hanging around to set the boundaries for them?

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What such as things are you seen here? We see a lot of drunkenness

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out in the streets. Best man as part of the solution to anti-social

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behaviour. He is one of 20 volunteer street pastors in

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Stevenage to patrol the streets on a Saturday night. It could be

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someone who has had too much to drink, a vulnerable lady who needs

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to be what to a taxi rank or even walk home. Or it could be chatting

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to people who just want to top. For people like Mike -- Mike

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Cassidy at the Hyde, they do not necessarily care how the police are

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run, they just want to know that if they ask for it help then they will

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get it. Oli Khan, you run a local business

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here, tell us about your experience of what life can be like? I have

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had three incidents in the last five years. One of the worst ones

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was six or seven months ago. There were three gentleman over the age

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of 20. They wear a little bit drunk and a high street and there was a

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boy of 12 years old. He went to the shop and got some crisps and drinks.

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The gentleman went after him to grab his back of snacks and drinks.

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-- his back. The gentlemen were slightly drunk. It is an

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interesting story, but I am going to have to hurry you slightly, I am

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afraid. I call the police and things get worse. They are shouting

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and they have some weapons. What is your question? My question to the

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candidates is, how would you ensure that the Government -- that

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policing will be for the many, not just for the few? It needs to be

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for the many. 70 per cent of offences are being turned out to.

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This is about reducing crime, and that has to happen further up the

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line. As soon as you have to call the police something has gone wrong.

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That is about working with partner organisations and making sure that

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the local council works with the police. You spoke about an

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individual case, and I do not think we can answer every individual case.

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It is unfortunate what you had to experience. Over all, crime rates

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are low and that is good. We must continue to head in that direction.

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As police and crime commissioner we have to take over site and make

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sure you were getting the right sort of response that you need.

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would agree with the others that there needs to be as quicker

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response as possible for those sorts of crimes. But it is not just

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the police, it is the community safety partnership that will work

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together, engaging with the community, indicating what the

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commission as well, to get more of a sense of what is happening, what

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the responses are like, and whether people are satisfied. We need

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feedback to make sure that the constabulary will improve on what

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they did before are based on experiences. We do not like these

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things to happen, but I would certainly be bringing partners

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together, including the local council, businesses, residents'

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groups, so they can contribute. Experience you may contrast with

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somewhere only a few miles down the road. N Baldock, the police station

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was closed last May. It is now disused. Police visit twice a week

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but there is no actual building as a centre for policing in Baldock

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any more. There is concern locally about

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places like Baldock. Councillor Michael Moore joins us now. Let us

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hear those concerns. Baldock constables now have to report at

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another police station. So far, and her 1/2 is lost each day at the

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beginning and the end of each shift. -- an hour and a half is lost. They

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would prefer to be based N Baldock. Paying rent to be part of their

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community centre is not seen as viable to the police hierarchy.

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What would you do to bring this matter to a satisfactory conclusion

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for the people of Baldock? I have some experience of this. There have

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been pressures on budgets, there is no denying it. A lot of real estate

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has gone. We are facing a possible change in model where we are moving

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away from having the community police station being a centre,

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towards a neighbourhood policing team. I think that is where things

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are going. I am sad that this notion of a police station, which

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everyone knows is a centre, is going. But I am supportive, and I

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think that the teams seemed to be working quite effectively. I will

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have to get the others in. I am very sorry that that is happening

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in those kinds of the areas. Unfortunately, cuts in policing

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generally means that there is not as much support as there used to be.

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It is crucial right now for partnerships to get together, with

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your parish council, with your councillors, to see what kind of

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solution see can actually come up with together. According to the

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needs of that the area. That is very important. We will have the

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opportunity to engage with you commissioner to talk about the

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opportunities you have got, to work together, to find a solution for

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you. Thanks to a Labour government we do have neighbourhood teams now

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that would not have been there before. 21st century policing is

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about policing for the people by the poll -- by the people. It

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should be in the community. We cannot afford to put a lot of money

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in the community. -- into buildings. What people want is a presence. We

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can have them in a local council office or a community centre, that

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is exactly the place to be. Policing has moved on. We need

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someone in the community and that is what I am all about. Let us move

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on to business and the demands that they have of the police. I

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understand you are from the Chamber of Commerce. What is your question?

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I think someone once -- everyone wants a new structure which is

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efficient and fair. People are concerned about the cost of that

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structure. Will it cost less than the current structure? Sherma

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Batson? The government wants there to be cuts in the service. We had

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far more pleasing on the streets than we do now, so there is an

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issue about the costing of it. I am a bit concerned about how those

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savings will be found, because you will end up affecting the service

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that you get if you cut too much. I would be keen to be talking to all

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agencies and businesses to find out what they think their impact would

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be on those cuts and how much it will cost. I think you question was

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about the cost of their police and Crown commissioner?

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administration cost has been about one million pounds. David Lloyd?

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you put it into a business Seth -- sense, rather than running a huge

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separate organisation, if I become their police and crime Commission I

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will see that as the chairman's office and it should bring together

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a lot of the back offices that are currently separate between police

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constabulary and police authority. I will remain together because it

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is one team looking at reducing crime in the county. Be question is

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about police a authority. There are going to be savings because at the

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moment there are 12 members and you're going to have won police

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crime commissioner. But unfortunately there will be the

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cost of elections. Roughly, it will stay the same in terms of cost.

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we head in the sun, support for victims as part of the police and

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crime commissioner role. -- as we heard, support for victims. What is

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your question? Our question is given for every pound invested in

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the women's sector you see a 14 pounds return on that investment,

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we would like to see how the candidates are going to safeguard

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and support is very vital service, given that it receives no local or

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central funding at the moment. think domestic violence is one of

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the evils that we have in society. It is something that we need to

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stop. It is a great example of where you work with various pas ne

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organisations. Working alongside health to ensure that abuse does

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not happen through alcohol abuse. - - partner organisations. In terms

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of direct funding, I do not know who you are funded by. I imagine

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the borough council might be some money in, but if you do it all

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alone... Certainly, I look be very interested in seeing how I could

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help the funding. But of course, I cannot say yes to everyone, so we

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need to look at the overall funding levels across the county. Same

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question to you, Christopher Townshend. I cannot say yes to

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everyone as well. But you spend �1, you make 14. That is a very good

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angle. I will seek to protect the funding for this. I think on a more

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emotional level, if you like, I will try to make sure I understand

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what you're trying to do in your organisation. One of my priorities

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would be supporting victims more than they are supported at the

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moment. Victims of domestic violence certainly, because one of

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five Kohl's 2999 i from domestic violence victims -- one in South

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phone-calls to the emergency number our domestic violence victims.

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There is not a lot of money, we need to pool the resources, to make

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sure we cannot support a victims so that they will come forward and get

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the support that the need. We can just squeeze one more question and.

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How will you stop politics creeping into their job? A good question.

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Christopher Townshend? I do not feel I am a politician, I have a

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regular job, I am hard working, I am a family man. In my spare time I

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am a counsellor. You're going to have to be priests. I will try in

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the pragmatic and compassionate. you will have to be quick. We will

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all have to sign an oath to say that we will not put politics of

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four people and we certainly will not. We do not do it in our roles

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as councillors currently. I have been a community person most of my

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working life, a community person and a politician to try and help

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get things done. As far as I'm concerned, the chief constable as

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an operational job today and I would not interfere with that and

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bring politics into it, because people are far more important.

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just want a show of hands, you have heard arguments today so I would

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love to see how many people here think that a police and crime

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commissioner will make a difference. Hands up if you think it will make

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a difference? Let us have an unscientific show of hands. I think

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that great just... You could just have swung into. Still some work to

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do! 90 very much for Downing us today, it has been great to have

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you here. -- thank you very much for joining us today.

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Now back -- a change in the law was called for this week to give

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drivers and breaks down into just how much fuel duty they are paying.

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We were sure how much the oil companies are ripping us off. -- we

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will show. On the anniversary of the Battle of

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Dale Farm, we ask the community Secretary whether his local council

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Brentwood had provided any new traveller pitches. They are about

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to go through a process of local planning to identify sites. That is

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in no, then. Meanwhile the new Health Secretary

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Jeremy Hunt have paid a visit to India dementia unit. -- and you

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dementia unit. I'm David Cameron visited Kettering

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Hospital. -- and David Cameron. That is all from us in Stevenage.

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Our thanks to all the police and crime commissioner candidates. And

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thank you to the audience for joining us today. There are more

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