18/11/2012 Sunday Politics South West

In the South West: Devon & Cornwall's new Police Commissioner

joins us live to discuss how he'll tackle rising crime with fewer

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 2385 seconds

Hello, I'm Lucie Fisher, coming up on the Sunday Politics in the

Southwest. The plan to provide 15 legal

traveller pitches on Haldon Hill. And we're joined today by Devon and

Cornwall's brand new Police and Crime Commissioner Tony Hogg.

Congratulations to you! Alongside him is our political analyst Adrian

Lee. On my left, the woman who came third in Thursday's police election,

Labour's Nicky Williams. And a man elected on a turnout of over

seventy percent, the Conservative MP, Neil Parish. Welcome all of you

to the programme. Before we begin, here's Ben Woolvin with a roundup

of the results. The in the run-up to the elections, many said there

was no place for politics in the police.

In Dorset, for the people rejected the party animals electing the only

independent candidate, a former police officer. The Tories accused

him of negative campaigning and refused to share a platform when

the result was declared. There was a bloody campaign, it is a

Conservative county, I was a big threat. I regret it happened. Now

we need to move on. A similar story in Avon and Somerset were once

again people chose the only candidate promising zero party

politics. I am committed to improving police performance on

anti-social behaviour, burglary and violent offences. Especially

against women and girls. And just as important I will listen to all

our residents. It was different in Devon and Cornwall. Not least

because it was the last in the country to declare. Election

anoraks were kept up until gone midnight. Good morning, everyone.

And the winner was a Conservative. I am greatly honoured to be elected

as the police and crime Commissioner for Devon and Cornwall

and the Isles of Scilly. Tony Hogg is a Royal Navy veteran, a former

commanding officer at cauldrons. Now he finds himself at the helm of

a police force with rising crime and falling from UN offices. He has

asked his old colleagues if they will share a helicopter with the

police. At his pledge to offset the cuts with the recruitment of 500

special constables. He is promising a police cadet branch in every town.

The new commissioner wants them to help catch criminals. Tony Hogg has

written about his love of animals and says he will look at whether

the force needs to change its policing of the hunting ban. His

victory yesterday morning was helped by the six independents who

stood against him. Including the one who came second. I was

disappointed but I am pleased to have polled 37,000 votes. It raises

public support for my views on the changes the government forced upon

us. Greenslade was one of those who didn't approve of the job he

applied for. The 37,000 people who voted for him may have been sending

a message to ministers. Those two sports their papers and stayed at

home were. The percentage of the electorate to do that was a

staggering 85%. Tony Hogg, how should we address the question of

Commissioner? Tony Hogg. Crime is rising at the moment. 700 officers

will go as part of cuts, what can you do about that now?

priorities are from the top quite straightforward, clear leadership

to work with the Chief Constable who will be appointed in the New

Year to work closely with him on the many challenges that face Devon

and Cornwall police force. To ensure we have a strong front line

of policing, and to make sure the community plays its part in a low-

level crime and we place great emphasis on prevention and it is so

important we intervene early in young people to turn around their

lives before the entire life of crime. You mention strong frontline

policing but we are losing 700 officers. As an elected politician,

are you under pressure to take officers from important but less

visible things like internet pornography and domestic violence

and put them on the streets on a Saturday night? The world,

certainly the primary role of the police crime Commission is to work

with the Chief Constable to look at the policing challenges and risks

we face. And then to work hard to offset the government savings place

on the police by it looking for waste wherever it exists for

arguing, for arguing for a better slice of the policing cake for

Devon and Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. You mentioned 500 special

Constable's. How does that work, they do an important role but that

is bringing in the voluntary sector to replace police officers? That's

a perfect solution in many respects, to call on the excellent voluntary

sector generally but in terms of... Why hasn't it been done before?

hadn't been the commissioner before. Do you think something like that

will get the backing of the Police Federation? I hope to win the

Police Federation around to my point of view. I need to meet them

to discuss the plans. I'm sure they want the best for Devon and

Cornwall as I do. Special constables are useful in the rural

communities of Devon and Cornwall and the outlying communities which

suffer with poor policing. talked about the Chief Constable

and you liaising with him, only 4% of the Devon and Cornwall

electorate voted for you as a first preference. And yet your first task

in this role is to appoint a chief constable. And you have no police

experience. Do you think you have a mandate? This is the first time

this role has happened. It is November, people were unsure of the

role and there were candidates to vote for -- a large number to vote

for, I understand this turnout was low. My job is to make a success of

it and to prove to people that this is something to take a great

interest in. As to the mandate of the Chief Constable, I have spent a

lifetime looking at appointing senior people in industry and in

charity and I have no doubt I can find the right solution for Devon

and Cornwall in appointing the next Chief Constable. We talked about

the large number who stood in Devon and Cornwall and the low turnout.

10 candidates, how does it compare nationwide? It was the largest

number stand it any police crime and commission election. It had one

interesting consequence. If you look elsewhere across the south and

south-west, there was a move towards independent candidates, an

independent in Somerset, also Dorset and in Hampshire. If you

look at the proportions in the vote on the first preference vote, and

then look at Devon and Cornwall, the first preference votes were the

Independent added together came to 35%. If they had been a single

independent candidate it might have been in the lead. Speculation but

an interesting point. His is an embarrassment, the level of turnout

considering the Conservatives dreamt it up? We would have

preferred a higher turnout. It is November and it's the first time

the elections have happened. I have every confidence in Tony that he

will deliver good policing and it will raise the profile. I'm sorry

we have not grabbed the imagination of the electorate more on this

election but in the future when they seek their was a key figure

that people can approach, politicians, cancers and the public.

Let's talk about the things you might approach Tony Hogg over. If

they say they have not seen a policeman for years, what will you

do about it, vandalism in the town square, will you go to Tony Hogg

and asked what he will do? That is the role. I have discussed this

with Tony in the campaign. Not only is it about policing and area,

sometimes you might have people that have had a problem with the

police individuals. That is better to discuss with Tony before it

becomes in the public arena. OK, he needs more officers to patrol

Honiton town square, what will you do about that? I would endorse what

he says, is the primary role to be more available and visible and

accessible to everyone impartially. And I'll be sitting up a mechanism,

modern mechanisms in terms of the media but also visiting people and

talking to them. Can you put more bobbies on the beat if he asks for

it? I imagine we will look together, the chief constable and myself, the

chief constable has operational control. Could he not have gone to

the chief constable without your role? He might have dead but we

need governance -- we need OK, Nicky Williams, if Labour get

back into government is is a role they will keep or something they

should be abolished? Were you thinking Tony Hogg has a good.?

think if Labour gets into power they will seriously look at this

role and look at abolishing it. What is clear from the turn out and

from talking to people on the streets is people did not want this

role. They wanted the money to be spent on frontline policing. White

to stand for the role? I stood because I thought people should

have the alternative voice, someone who will speak up for them. We know

people are concerned about privatising the police force. I

thought it was important that I stood up against that. Were you

pleased with how you did? Yes, really pleased. We beat the Lib

Dems into fourth place, the Labour vote held up and we did well.

People agreed with us. The police should not be politicised.

mentioned about hunting ban and you said it is something you might talk

to the Chief Constable about. We privatise hunting? The hunting ban

is a sensitive issue and there are differing views between the rural

community and those who feel strongly about cruelty to animals.

It is an operational matter. I am neutral on this issue. I will talk

about the resources needed and I were looking to it as police and

crime Commission. Do you support hunting ban? It is not a position

to look either way. I must be neutral. But as a politician, you

have become neutral because you did stand as a Conservative. I did

stand as a conservative but now I am impartial. It's an operational

matter. IC the role of the Police Commissioner like an MP, you stand

for a political agenda but when you have individuals coming to see, you

do not ask what that politics is. They come to me because I am the MP.

The key role of Tony is to listen to what people want and deal with

it in a non-political way. I must stop you there. We have run out of

time. Thank you. Now to an issue which could become a police matter

in the near future. The travellers' site on Devon's Haldon Hill.

Teignbridge council's recently assessed its obligation to provide

pitches and councillors are about to consider plans for an official

site next to the existing illegal one. Some travellers there say they

don't want to move to an approved site, but there's an eviction

notice looming, as Johnny I don't care where you have an Eco

from the said, A should not be in the forest. This site cannot be

tolerated in its present form. would love for the country to be

receptive and open to all people of all walks of life. For over 10

years travellers have occupied this stretch of land but things are

about change. There is an eviction notice on the site which means for

the people living here they could be kicked out of their homes in the

next eight months. The alternative is to move next door to a site

provided by the council. Backing onto the present side is the newly

fenced off to acre area of woodland that many locals would like it

elsewhere. This is a Site of Special Scientific Interest. It is

the wrong location to settle a community. As you can see, it's

important we have some screening. In January, Teignbridge council won

a grant aid for �1.5 million enough to build 50 new traveller pitches.

This is the first New Age traveller site in the country. We will be

putting a hard standings in and they will be an amenity block with

toilets, showers and washing facilities. Somewhat apart the

vehicle and some work they can use for domestic purposes. This sort of

thing has been attempted before. Torridge District Council provided

legal traveller pictures, by 2011 the project was abandoned.

Teignbridge council have found they needed 70 pitches over the next 20

years. 15 of them will be at Haldon Hill. Some travellers are think

there is no point in cutting down woodland and they're happy to stay

where they are. They've only allocated 15 pitches which is

nowhere near enough for the people here. They can offer the pictures

to the people who get them, they move leaving everybody else behind.

They have effectively got asked to do their job for them. It is being

put upon us as though it's for our benefit but it's not. It is the

benefit of the local authority. can't continually evict people and

move people on, clearing up the mess and keep throwing money away.

That is what she would do. If you evict the family is from this site

and achieved nothing, you will create this somewhere else.

planning application will be launched before Christmas, if he

gets the go-ahead, the new site will be completed by 20th March 15.

Is it worth the grief and expense that's needed to get these people

off the site a move to next door? It is really important these sites

are planned. If you have a planned site, you have the resources in

place to manage them. I know from Plymouth we spent 240,000 cleaning

up unauthorised camps every year. How much does that compare with

approving an authorised site? Approve the unauthorised site is

expensive to set up but the long- term costs, it is not just the cost

of setting up the side, the residents whose lives are blighted

by unauthorised camps, the good thing about having an official site

is you can manage it, you can take action against the anti-social

behaviour against fly-tipping which is more difficult to do with an

unauthorised camp. In Plymouth, you have money from the government for

this. What are you doing with it? We have gone out to consultation on

one side, that has come back and we are now about to apply for planning

permission on the side. nothing's happened yet. No, we need

planning permission. It takes a long time. It does. It is only

right because you're talking about putting a set for gypsies and

travellers knit communities stuck you have to talk to the community

and make sure you have the right facilities. This is the

Government's measure but so far we have no sites that have been

approved even though councils have tried to have said to prove. It has

been a conundrum for lots of governments. You have to put up

money for legitimate sites and then find planning permission. People

then object if they don't want them. It's a long process. If we don't

touch the sides in place, travellers go around the country

camping where they should not be and because there are no official

sites in place, they cite this when they go to appeal. It is all to do

with planning law. Why should a gipsy site be set-up where they

shouldn't be, they have no planning permission and no one else can set

a site up there. They are abusing their position. There will not be

enough pitches next door? It is not sufficient, the alternative option.

These people have been here 10 years. Historically I remember a

site in Somerset and it was an official site but many of the

travellers would not go on to the site, they prefer to set up an

illegal site. It is a problem, it's been going on for a long time. It

is like if you want a nuclear power station up or an incinerator,

people are not keen on it next door. We have to go through the planning

process. Not in my backyard. our regular round-up of the

Unemployment figures showed Torbay still has the region's highest

proportion of job seekers. Down here it is not like a city. You

have to know the people all move away. MPs have tried to persuade

ministers to ditch the 3p fuel duty rise in January. The campaign

against plans to scrap the search and rescue helicopter was given a

boost. The chair of the transport committee said the government

should change course. We have heard evidence those new plans will not

save. The lovable children and the elderly are costing the council's

more than a budgeted for. New figures revealed a �9 million

overspend. The council warned it is heading for bankruptcy. A council

tax rise is unpopular. In it's ridiculous amount of money.

So, that is the 62nd round it. Let's look at fuel duty, MPs have

tried to persuade Mr -- Mrs to scrap the rise due in general.

I think we need to scrap it. People are being hit and we need to do

everything we can to boost the economy. And make sure people have

the money in their pockets. What about the environment? We need to

look at the realities, actually it is the wrong time to impose this

duty increase. Neil, this will hit everybody in their pocket. Would

you think the Tories will do about this? I did want see it go up but

the last few escalator would have seen 10 pence more on fuel duty

than it is all ready. We have taken action. Have the government got

something up their sleeve? It was beyond my pay great to reveal what