:01:29. > :01:32.In the South West: Devon & Cornwall's new Police Commissioner
:01:32. > :01:42.joins us live to discuss how he'll tackle rising crime with fewer
:01:42. > :01:42.
:01:42. > :41:28.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 2385 seconds
:41:28. > :41:31.Hello, I'm Lucie Fisher, coming up on the Sunday Politics in the
:41:31. > :41:38.Southwest. The plan to provide 15 legal
:41:38. > :41:41.traveller pitches on Haldon Hill. And we're joined today by Devon and
:41:41. > :41:46.Cornwall's brand new Police and Crime Commissioner Tony Hogg.
:41:46. > :41:49.Congratulations to you! Alongside him is our political analyst Adrian
:41:49. > :41:54.Lee. On my left, the woman who came third in Thursday's police election,
:41:54. > :41:57.Labour's Nicky Williams. And a man elected on a turnout of over
:41:57. > :42:02.seventy percent, the Conservative MP, Neil Parish. Welcome all of you
:42:02. > :42:09.to the programme. Before we begin, here's Ben Woolvin with a roundup
:42:09. > :42:11.of the results. The in the run-up to the elections, many said there
:42:11. > :42:17.was no place for politics in the police.
:42:17. > :42:21.In Dorset, for the people rejected the party animals electing the only
:42:21. > :42:25.independent candidate, a former police officer. The Tories accused
:42:25. > :42:34.him of negative campaigning and refused to share a platform when
:42:34. > :42:39.the result was declared. There was a bloody campaign, it is a
:42:39. > :42:45.Conservative county, I was a big threat. I regret it happened. Now
:42:45. > :42:48.we need to move on. A similar story in Avon and Somerset were once
:42:48. > :42:55.again people chose the only candidate promising zero party
:42:55. > :43:01.politics. I am committed to improving police performance on
:43:01. > :43:06.anti-social behaviour, burglary and violent offences. Especially
:43:06. > :43:10.against women and girls. And just as important I will listen to all
:43:10. > :43:15.our residents. It was different in Devon and Cornwall. Not least
:43:15. > :43:20.because it was the last in the country to declare. Election
:43:20. > :43:25.anoraks were kept up until gone midnight. Good morning, everyone.
:43:26. > :43:29.And the winner was a Conservative. I am greatly honoured to be elected
:43:29. > :43:36.as the police and crime Commissioner for Devon and Cornwall
:43:36. > :43:41.and the Isles of Scilly. Tony Hogg is a Royal Navy veteran, a former
:43:41. > :43:46.commanding officer at cauldrons. Now he finds himself at the helm of
:43:46. > :43:50.a police force with rising crime and falling from UN offices. He has
:43:50. > :43:56.asked his old colleagues if they will share a helicopter with the
:43:56. > :44:04.police. At his pledge to offset the cuts with the recruitment of 500
:44:04. > :44:09.special constables. He is promising a police cadet branch in every town.
:44:09. > :44:14.The new commissioner wants them to help catch criminals. Tony Hogg has
:44:14. > :44:18.written about his love of animals and says he will look at whether
:44:18. > :44:22.the force needs to change its policing of the hunting ban. His
:44:23. > :44:28.victory yesterday morning was helped by the six independents who
:44:28. > :44:34.stood against him. Including the one who came second. I was
:44:34. > :44:38.disappointed but I am pleased to have polled 37,000 votes. It raises
:44:38. > :44:44.public support for my views on the changes the government forced upon
:44:44. > :44:48.us. Greenslade was one of those who didn't approve of the job he
:44:48. > :44:53.applied for. The 37,000 people who voted for him may have been sending
:44:53. > :44:58.a message to ministers. Those two sports their papers and stayed at
:44:58. > :45:07.home were. The percentage of the electorate to do that was a
:45:07. > :45:14.staggering 85%. Tony Hogg, how should we address the question of
:45:14. > :45:19.Commissioner? Tony Hogg. Crime is rising at the moment. 700 officers
:45:19. > :45:25.will go as part of cuts, what can you do about that now?
:45:25. > :45:31.priorities are from the top quite straightforward, clear leadership
:45:31. > :45:35.to work with the Chief Constable who will be appointed in the New
:45:35. > :45:40.Year to work closely with him on the many challenges that face Devon
:45:40. > :45:46.and Cornwall police force. To ensure we have a strong front line
:45:46. > :45:53.of policing, and to make sure the community plays its part in a low-
:45:53. > :45:56.level crime and we place great emphasis on prevention and it is so
:45:56. > :46:01.important we intervene early in young people to turn around their
:46:01. > :46:06.lives before the entire life of crime. You mention strong frontline
:46:06. > :46:10.policing but we are losing 700 officers. As an elected politician,
:46:10. > :46:14.are you under pressure to take officers from important but less
:46:14. > :46:20.visible things like internet pornography and domestic violence
:46:20. > :46:25.and put them on the streets on a Saturday night? The world,
:46:25. > :46:29.certainly the primary role of the police crime Commission is to work
:46:29. > :46:37.with the Chief Constable to look at the policing challenges and risks
:46:37. > :46:43.we face. And then to work hard to offset the government savings place
:46:43. > :46:48.on the police by it looking for waste wherever it exists for
:46:48. > :46:55.arguing, for arguing for a better slice of the policing cake for
:46:55. > :46:59.Devon and Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. You mentioned 500 special
:46:59. > :47:03.Constable's. How does that work, they do an important role but that
:47:03. > :47:09.is bringing in the voluntary sector to replace police officers? That's
:47:09. > :47:16.a perfect solution in many respects, to call on the excellent voluntary
:47:16. > :47:22.sector generally but in terms of... Why hasn't it been done before?
:47:23. > :47:28.hadn't been the commissioner before. Do you think something like that
:47:28. > :47:32.will get the backing of the Police Federation? I hope to win the
:47:32. > :47:36.Police Federation around to my point of view. I need to meet them
:47:36. > :47:42.to discuss the plans. I'm sure they want the best for Devon and
:47:43. > :47:46.Cornwall as I do. Special constables are useful in the rural
:47:46. > :47:53.communities of Devon and Cornwall and the outlying communities which
:47:53. > :47:58.suffer with poor policing. talked about the Chief Constable
:47:58. > :48:03.and you liaising with him, only 4% of the Devon and Cornwall
:48:03. > :48:10.electorate voted for you as a first preference. And yet your first task
:48:10. > :48:15.in this role is to appoint a chief constable. And you have no police
:48:15. > :48:21.experience. Do you think you have a mandate? This is the first time
:48:21. > :48:26.this role has happened. It is November, people were unsure of the
:48:26. > :48:32.role and there were candidates to vote for -- a large number to vote
:48:32. > :48:38.for, I understand this turnout was low. My job is to make a success of
:48:38. > :48:44.it and to prove to people that this is something to take a great
:48:44. > :48:50.interest in. As to the mandate of the Chief Constable, I have spent a
:48:50. > :48:54.lifetime looking at appointing senior people in industry and in
:48:54. > :49:00.charity and I have no doubt I can find the right solution for Devon
:49:00. > :49:03.and Cornwall in appointing the next Chief Constable. We talked about
:49:03. > :49:08.the large number who stood in Devon and Cornwall and the low turnout.
:49:08. > :49:15.10 candidates, how does it compare nationwide? It was the largest
:49:15. > :49:19.number stand it any police crime and commission election. It had one
:49:19. > :49:24.interesting consequence. If you look elsewhere across the south and
:49:24. > :49:29.south-west, there was a move towards independent candidates, an
:49:30. > :49:35.independent in Somerset, also Dorset and in Hampshire. If you
:49:35. > :49:39.look at the proportions in the vote on the first preference vote, and
:49:39. > :49:45.then look at Devon and Cornwall, the first preference votes were the
:49:45. > :49:50.Independent added together came to 35%. If they had been a single
:49:50. > :49:57.independent candidate it might have been in the lead. Speculation but
:49:57. > :50:01.an interesting point. His is an embarrassment, the level of turnout
:50:01. > :50:06.considering the Conservatives dreamt it up? We would have
:50:06. > :50:10.preferred a higher turnout. It is November and it's the first time
:50:10. > :50:15.the elections have happened. I have every confidence in Tony that he
:50:15. > :50:20.will deliver good policing and it will raise the profile. I'm sorry
:50:20. > :50:26.we have not grabbed the imagination of the electorate more on this
:50:26. > :50:33.election but in the future when they seek their was a key figure
:50:33. > :50:38.that people can approach, politicians, cancers and the public.
:50:38. > :50:41.Let's talk about the things you might approach Tony Hogg over. If
:50:41. > :50:47.they say they have not seen a policeman for years, what will you
:50:47. > :50:54.do about it, vandalism in the town square, will you go to Tony Hogg
:50:54. > :50:59.and asked what he will do? That is the role. I have discussed this
:50:59. > :51:03.with Tony in the campaign. Not only is it about policing and area,
:51:03. > :51:10.sometimes you might have people that have had a problem with the
:51:10. > :51:16.police individuals. That is better to discuss with Tony before it
:51:16. > :51:22.becomes in the public arena. OK, he needs more officers to patrol
:51:22. > :51:26.Honiton town square, what will you do about that? I would endorse what
:51:26. > :51:34.he says, is the primary role to be more available and visible and
:51:34. > :51:39.accessible to everyone impartially. And I'll be sitting up a mechanism,
:51:39. > :51:43.modern mechanisms in terms of the media but also visiting people and
:51:43. > :51:52.talking to them. Can you put more bobbies on the beat if he asks for
:51:52. > :52:00.it? I imagine we will look together, the chief constable and myself, the
:52:00. > :52:04.chief constable has operational control. Could he not have gone to
:52:05. > :52:14.the chief constable without your role? He might have dead but we
:52:15. > :52:26.
:52:26. > :52:29.need governance -- we need OK, Nicky Williams, if Labour get
:52:29. > :52:35.back into government is is a role they will keep or something they
:52:35. > :52:39.should be abolished? Were you thinking Tony Hogg has a good.?
:52:39. > :52:43.think if Labour gets into power they will seriously look at this
:52:43. > :52:47.role and look at abolishing it. What is clear from the turn out and
:52:47. > :52:52.from talking to people on the streets is people did not want this
:52:52. > :52:57.role. They wanted the money to be spent on frontline policing. White
:52:57. > :53:02.to stand for the role? I stood because I thought people should
:53:02. > :53:08.have the alternative voice, someone who will speak up for them. We know
:53:08. > :53:12.people are concerned about privatising the police force. I
:53:12. > :53:19.thought it was important that I stood up against that. Were you
:53:19. > :53:24.pleased with how you did? Yes, really pleased. We beat the Lib
:53:24. > :53:31.Dems into fourth place, the Labour vote held up and we did well.
:53:31. > :53:35.People agreed with us. The police should not be politicised.
:53:35. > :53:41.mentioned about hunting ban and you said it is something you might talk
:53:41. > :53:45.to the Chief Constable about. We privatise hunting? The hunting ban
:53:45. > :53:50.is a sensitive issue and there are differing views between the rural
:53:50. > :53:55.community and those who feel strongly about cruelty to animals.
:53:55. > :54:01.It is an operational matter. I am neutral on this issue. I will talk
:54:01. > :54:05.about the resources needed and I were looking to it as police and
:54:05. > :54:13.crime Commission. Do you support hunting ban? It is not a position
:54:13. > :54:18.to look either way. I must be neutral. But as a politician, you
:54:18. > :54:21.have become neutral because you did stand as a Conservative. I did
:54:21. > :54:29.stand as a conservative but now I am impartial. It's an operational
:54:29. > :54:34.matter. IC the role of the Police Commissioner like an MP, you stand
:54:34. > :54:40.for a political agenda but when you have individuals coming to see, you
:54:40. > :54:47.do not ask what that politics is. They come to me because I am the MP.
:54:47. > :54:51.The key role of Tony is to listen to what people want and deal with
:54:51. > :54:55.it in a non-political way. I must stop you there. We have run out of
:54:55. > :55:00.time. Thank you. Now to an issue which could become a police matter
:55:00. > :55:02.in the near future. The travellers' site on Devon's Haldon Hill.
:55:02. > :55:04.Teignbridge council's recently assessed its obligation to provide
:55:04. > :55:09.pitches and councillors are about to consider plans for an official
:55:09. > :55:12.site next to the existing illegal one. Some travellers there say they
:55:12. > :55:22.don't want to move to an approved site, but there's an eviction
:55:22. > :55:28.
:55:28. > :55:32.notice looming, as Johnny I don't care where you have an Eco
:55:32. > :55:38.from the said, A should not be in the forest. This site cannot be
:55:38. > :55:42.tolerated in its present form. would love for the country to be
:55:42. > :55:47.receptive and open to all people of all walks of life. For over 10
:55:47. > :55:52.years travellers have occupied this stretch of land but things are
:55:52. > :55:55.about change. There is an eviction notice on the site which means for
:55:55. > :56:00.the people living here they could be kicked out of their homes in the
:56:00. > :56:07.next eight months. The alternative is to move next door to a site
:56:07. > :56:11.provided by the council. Backing onto the present side is the newly
:56:11. > :56:18.fenced off to acre area of woodland that many locals would like it
:56:18. > :56:24.elsewhere. This is a Site of Special Scientific Interest. It is
:56:24. > :56:29.the wrong location to settle a community. As you can see, it's
:56:29. > :56:35.important we have some screening. In January, Teignbridge council won
:56:35. > :56:41.a grant aid for �1.5 million enough to build 50 new traveller pitches.
:56:41. > :56:45.This is the first New Age traveller site in the country. We will be
:56:45. > :56:50.putting a hard standings in and they will be an amenity block with
:56:50. > :56:55.toilets, showers and washing facilities. Somewhat apart the
:56:55. > :57:03.vehicle and some work they can use for domestic purposes. This sort of
:57:03. > :57:11.thing has been attempted before. Torridge District Council provided
:57:11. > :57:15.legal traveller pictures, by 2011 the project was abandoned.
:57:15. > :57:23.Teignbridge council have found they needed 70 pitches over the next 20
:57:23. > :57:28.years. 15 of them will be at Haldon Hill. Some travellers are think
:57:28. > :57:33.there is no point in cutting down woodland and they're happy to stay
:57:33. > :57:37.where they are. They've only allocated 15 pitches which is
:57:37. > :57:44.nowhere near enough for the people here. They can offer the pictures
:57:44. > :57:49.to the people who get them, they move leaving everybody else behind.
:57:49. > :57:53.They have effectively got asked to do their job for them. It is being
:57:54. > :57:59.put upon us as though it's for our benefit but it's not. It is the
:57:59. > :58:04.benefit of the local authority. can't continually evict people and
:58:04. > :58:10.move people on, clearing up the mess and keep throwing money away.
:58:10. > :58:15.That is what she would do. If you evict the family is from this site
:58:15. > :58:18.and achieved nothing, you will create this somewhere else.
:58:18. > :58:28.planning application will be launched before Christmas, if he
:58:28. > :58:31.gets the go-ahead, the new site will be completed by 20th March 15.
:58:31. > :58:37.Is it worth the grief and expense that's needed to get these people
:58:37. > :58:42.off the site a move to next door? It is really important these sites
:58:43. > :58:51.are planned. If you have a planned site, you have the resources in
:58:51. > :58:56.place to manage them. I know from Plymouth we spent 240,000 cleaning
:58:56. > :59:00.up unauthorised camps every year. How much does that compare with
:59:00. > :59:05.approving an authorised site? Approve the unauthorised site is
:59:05. > :59:11.expensive to set up but the long- term costs, it is not just the cost
:59:11. > :59:16.of setting up the side, the residents whose lives are blighted
:59:16. > :59:20.by unauthorised camps, the good thing about having an official site
:59:20. > :59:24.is you can manage it, you can take action against the anti-social
:59:24. > :59:29.behaviour against fly-tipping which is more difficult to do with an
:59:29. > :59:36.unauthorised camp. In Plymouth, you have money from the government for
:59:36. > :59:40.this. What are you doing with it? We have gone out to consultation on
:59:40. > :59:45.one side, that has come back and we are now about to apply for planning
:59:45. > :59:51.permission on the side. nothing's happened yet. No, we need
:59:51. > :59:56.planning permission. It takes a long time. It does. It is only
:59:56. > :59:59.right because you're talking about putting a set for gypsies and
:59:59. > :00:06.travellers knit communities stuck you have to talk to the community
:00:06. > :00:10.and make sure you have the right facilities. This is the
:00:10. > :00:15.Government's measure but so far we have no sites that have been
:00:15. > :00:18.approved even though councils have tried to have said to prove. It has
:00:18. > :00:22.been a conundrum for lots of governments. You have to put up
:00:22. > :00:28.money for legitimate sites and then find planning permission. People
:00:28. > :00:32.then object if they don't want them. It's a long process. If we don't
:00:32. > :00:36.touch the sides in place, travellers go around the country
:00:36. > :00:42.camping where they should not be and because there are no official
:00:42. > :00:46.sites in place, they cite this when they go to appeal. It is all to do
:00:46. > :00:51.with planning law. Why should a gipsy site be set-up where they
:00:51. > :00:57.shouldn't be, they have no planning permission and no one else can set
:00:57. > :01:04.a site up there. They are abusing their position. There will not be
:01:04. > :01:10.enough pitches next door? It is not sufficient, the alternative option.
:01:10. > :01:14.These people have been here 10 years. Historically I remember a
:01:14. > :01:18.site in Somerset and it was an official site but many of the
:01:18. > :01:25.travellers would not go on to the site, they prefer to set up an
:01:25. > :01:29.illegal site. It is a problem, it's been going on for a long time. It
:01:29. > :01:36.is like if you want a nuclear power station up or an incinerator,
:01:36. > :01:39.people are not keen on it next door. We have to go through the planning
:01:39. > :01:49.process. Not in my backyard. our regular round-up of the
:01:49. > :01:53.
:01:53. > :02:01.Unemployment figures showed Torbay still has the region's highest
:02:01. > :02:07.proportion of job seekers. Down here it is not like a city. You
:02:07. > :02:14.have to know the people all move away. MPs have tried to persuade
:02:14. > :02:17.ministers to ditch the 3p fuel duty rise in January. The campaign
:02:17. > :02:20.against plans to scrap the search and rescue helicopter was given a
:02:20. > :02:25.boost. The chair of the transport committee said the government
:02:25. > :02:31.should change course. We have heard evidence those new plans will not
:02:31. > :02:36.save. The lovable children and the elderly are costing the council's
:02:36. > :02:44.more than a budgeted for. New figures revealed a �9 million
:02:45. > :02:53.overspend. The council warned it is heading for bankruptcy. A council
:02:53. > :03:00.tax rise is unpopular. In it's ridiculous amount of money.
:03:00. > :03:05.So, that is the 62nd round it. Let's look at fuel duty, MPs have
:03:05. > :03:11.tried to persuade Mr -- Mrs to scrap the rise due in general.
:03:11. > :03:14.I think we need to scrap it. People are being hit and we need to do
:03:14. > :03:19.everything we can to boost the economy. And make sure people have
:03:19. > :03:26.the money in their pockets. What about the environment? We need to
:03:26. > :03:34.look at the realities, actually it is the wrong time to impose this
:03:34. > :03:41.duty increase. Neil, this will hit everybody in their pocket. Would
:03:41. > :03:46.you think the Tories will do about this? I did want see it go up but
:03:46. > :03:52.the last few escalator would have seen 10 pence more on fuel duty
:03:52. > :03:58.than it is all ready. We have taken action. Have the government got
:03:58. > :04:04.something up their sleeve? It was beyond my pay great to reveal what