:01:36. > :01:38.Later in the programme.you're being asked to vote for police
:01:38. > :01:48.commissioners, they'll set police force priorities and control
:01:48. > :01:48.
:01:48. > :39:53.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 2285 seconds
:39:53. > :39:56.policing budgets, we'll hear from Hello and on the Sunday Politics
:39:56. > :39:59.Wales we're keeping with Police Commissioners and I'm joined in
:39:59. > :40:04.studio by four people one of whom will become the Police and Crime
:40:05. > :40:07.Commissioner for Gwent next month. We'll hear from them in a minute.
:40:07. > :40:09.As you've already heard, Police and Crime Commissioners will be
:40:09. > :40:11.responsible for appointing chief constables, setting out local
:40:11. > :40:16.policing priorities, reporting annually on progress and setting
:40:16. > :40:20.out budgets. The UK government says commissioners are not there to run
:40:20. > :40:23.local police forces but to hold them to account. We'll be reporting
:40:23. > :40:26.on the elections in all four Welsh police forces in the run up to
:40:26. > :40:29.voting on November the 15th, we're starting today with a discussion
:40:29. > :40:32.between the four Gwent candidates and here they are good morning to
:40:32. > :40:39.you -- before we begin, each candidate has 30 seconds to
:40:40. > :40:47.introduce themselves and set out their pitch. In the interests of
:40:47. > :40:52.fairness, we drew lots before we came on air. The first out of the
:40:52. > :40:59.hat was Chris Wright. You're 32nd starts now. I am independent
:40:59. > :41:03.candidate. I was raised in Caerphilly. I'm standing as
:41:03. > :41:07.independent candidate because I have experience of policing and
:41:07. > :41:14.communities between London and Gwent. It means I am the candidate
:41:15. > :41:18.with will relevant experience. I want to give people the opportunity
:41:18. > :41:26.to vote for a non-political candidate, and to keep control of
:41:26. > :41:31.their local police. My name is Nick Webb, iron the Conservative
:41:31. > :41:35.candidate. I put myself forward for this job because I think it is a
:41:35. > :41:44.fantastic opportunity to connect local grassroots communities with
:41:44. > :41:50.the decision-making end of the police force. IM Hamish Sanderson,
:41:50. > :41:54.I have been a practising lawyer for more than 35 years, living in
:41:54. > :42:02.Monmouthshire for 25 years. As the Labour candidate, I am campaigning
:42:02. > :42:05.against Tory cuts taking bobbies of the beats. -- off the beat. I'm not
:42:05. > :42:10.a former policeman, I am independent of the police, and I
:42:10. > :42:15.intend to hold them to account. If I am elected, my priority will be
:42:15. > :42:25.to protect our public services, of which I believed the police are one
:42:25. > :42:26.
:42:26. > :42:36.of the most important. IM Ian Johnston, I'm an independent
:42:36. > :42:36.
:42:36. > :42:40.candidate. -- I am. I was in the police, retiring after 35 years. I
:42:40. > :42:44.think I have the skills and experience to carry out this job,
:42:44. > :42:52.and I am passionate about policing in Gwent, that is why I'm standing
:42:52. > :42:58.as independents. -- as an independent candidate. That is the
:42:58. > :43:03.candidates, what about the voters? We went to see if election fever
:43:03. > :43:09.have caught on. Does the date, November 15th, mean
:43:09. > :43:18.anything to you? The not really. And though. Not really. Yes, it is
:43:18. > :43:24.Guy Fawkes night. The crime council, sorting out to the budget goes to?
:43:24. > :43:30.You know of any elections coming up? Nose. Non really. I had a
:43:30. > :43:36.letter through about the election. One election is it? And no idea.
:43:36. > :43:41.it is the adverts on the television about community policing. They
:43:41. > :43:46.tease to do with the police governing. Police and Crime
:43:46. > :43:56.Commissioner is, does that mean anything? No. The chances are you
:43:56. > :44:09.
:44:10. > :44:14.voting are perhaps Len? Afraid so. The polls show that around 23% of
:44:14. > :44:19.people are aware of the election. That is about right. It is
:44:19. > :44:22.difficult, particularly for independent candidates. In the next
:44:22. > :44:31.couple of weeks, with be TV adverts and the leaflets, we will get the
:44:31. > :44:38.public interested. -- we did the TV adverts. Is the 23%, below 20 some
:44:38. > :44:43.people say, are those figures making sense to? I have been out on
:44:43. > :44:48.the streets knocking on doors all over Gwent. I think at the
:44:48. > :44:51.beginning nobody knew that there was an election, I am hearing that
:44:51. > :44:57.people know they have raised an election. They have notices from
:44:57. > :45:02.their council. What they don't know is what the election is about. They
:45:02. > :45:06.think they are letting the chief a police. What is really important,
:45:06. > :45:12.and I hope this show can help, is to make clear we are not selecting
:45:13. > :45:16.a policeman, but somebody to hold the police to account. To decide
:45:16. > :45:21.how our money is spent. That is a political job, not their policing
:45:21. > :45:27.job. Nick Webb, what is the most important thing you are telling
:45:27. > :45:31.people when you're knocking on the door? I think when you start
:45:31. > :45:37.knocking on the doors, and people understand, there is a lot of
:45:37. > :45:42.interest. It is something you, it'll take a little while, we
:45:42. > :45:46.haven't got much time, we are doing our best. When you start discussing
:45:46. > :45:52.the role, they do take an interest. They see that it is a chance to
:45:52. > :46:02.have a more direct say on how policing is done in the region.
:46:02. > :46:14.
:46:14. > :46:23.address a point that has come up, to review, Hamish and Nick, you are
:46:23. > :46:29.political. Should this be a political role? The fact is, he is
:46:29. > :46:32.a solicitor, he has a law degree, was the turn around and except
:46:32. > :46:37.somebody in a high-profile case, who has been doing the job for a
:46:37. > :46:40.week, standing and fighting his corner? I don't think he would. To
:46:40. > :46:50.hold the police to account, you need to know what happens at the
:46:50. > :46:51.
:46:51. > :46:57.bottom. A response. I am a lawyer, nobody's perfect it! This job is
:46:57. > :47:03.not just about policing, we are agreement, we don't want to have
:47:03. > :47:07.politics in operational matters. We have signed a pledge to protect the
:47:07. > :47:12.operational procedures of the police. We have seen a change in
:47:12. > :47:15.this country, after phone hacking, with a one per to a journalist in
:47:15. > :47:22.charge of holding the press to account? Would anyone put a
:47:22. > :47:31.politician in charge of expenses? Do you want to put a former police
:47:31. > :47:37.officer in charge of holding police -- the police to account? I was
:47:37. > :47:41.looking at a website, you said you were amused that people with no
:47:41. > :47:48.policing experience could carry out his job. You think it is insulting
:47:48. > :47:51.to police officers. It is nothing personal. If you look at the job
:47:51. > :47:56.description, in the first 100 days, the commissioner will be expected
:47:56. > :48:01.to set the budget and policing plan. I am amazed that people think
:48:01. > :48:06.policing is so simple. It is complex. That is why I don't think
:48:06. > :48:10.the public want politicians in this place. A recent poll showed that
:48:10. > :48:18.65% said people standing on a political ticket should not get the
:48:18. > :48:28.job. The public have had enough of politicians. I think the idea of
:48:28. > :48:29.
:48:29. > :48:34.politicising the police is a sound bite the that does not stand up. --
:48:34. > :48:37.that does not stand up. This is about accountability. If the
:48:37. > :48:42.community feels there not been well served by the police the
:48:42. > :48:49.authorities, they have caused fraction. Once they have a PCC,
:48:49. > :48:56.they will be able to kick somebody out. We have covered the basics
:48:56. > :49:04.about what the election is about. The four of you are standing in
:49:04. > :49:08.Gwent. Let's look at the issues facing the Gwent force. They are in
:49:08. > :49:16.quite good shape, they are on target to make the cuts that they
:49:16. > :49:20.have to. They have a lower crime rate and some are. One of you will
:49:20. > :49:28.be inheriting it a force that is in relatively good shape. What can you
:49:28. > :49:36.do to make a better? The crime reduction news is to be welcomed.
:49:36. > :49:40.It had the biggest reduction in England and Wales. We had 20% cuts
:49:40. > :49:46.by the current government, those 20% cuts mean that across Wales we
:49:46. > :49:50.will have 1,600 fewer police officers. That is difficult. The
:49:50. > :49:56.morale within the force in terms of pay and conditions and pensions is
:49:56. > :50:03.very low. That needs to be addressed. The cuts will only get
:50:03. > :50:09.worse. Hamish Sanderson, I know you are fighting on an anti-
:50:09. > :50:17.Conservative government agenda. Put into perspective how you see the
:50:18. > :50:24.cuts on the force? As I have said, I am concerned about the impact of
:50:24. > :50:28.the 20% cuts. It will mean police station closures, taking bobbies
:50:28. > :50:32.off the beat. The commissionaire won't have the power to increase
:50:32. > :50:37.the budget from Westminster, but we will have the power to set
:50:37. > :50:40.priorities. I would be concerned about prioritising anti-social
:50:40. > :50:46.behaviour, it is still an issue. All credit to Gwent Police, they
:50:46. > :50:49.have had the biggest reduction, but it is a big issue, along with
:50:49. > :50:56.domestic violence. I want a crackdown on domestic violence and
:50:56. > :51:01.hate crime. Those are issues that would go away. We still have after
:51:01. > :51:09.work to do. Nick Webb, you should have the opportunity to respond to
:51:09. > :51:18.what Hamish is saying, it is a direct act on your party -- a
:51:18. > :51:21.direct attack on your party? Those figures should be welcomed. We are
:51:21. > :51:27.looking at a PCC that it will make incremental changes building on
:51:27. > :51:36.that success. In terms of budgetary matters, as the colleges, the PCC
:51:36. > :51:43.will not have a great say on what the Budget is. It has to be decided
:51:43. > :51:49.on a realistic basis. We are getting rid of a deficit of over
:51:49. > :51:54.�100 billion. These are not cuts that are targeted at the police
:51:54. > :51:59.force, we have to make savings across the public sector. People
:51:59. > :52:03.are starting to realise that that is credible budget making. On your
:52:03. > :52:09.website, you retired from the police force one year ago. You have
:52:09. > :52:13.quite recent experience of the force? We are talking about cuts,
:52:13. > :52:17.what is your assessment of any impact that the cuts might have on
:52:17. > :52:24.a force that you will be commissioner rather? They are too
:52:24. > :52:34.wide ranging. This is a reason why you should not have politicisation
:52:34. > :52:38.of the force. They is cuts will happen. We have bubbled into a
:52:38. > :52:42.position where everybody is looking to appoint that when there is
:52:43. > :52:47.nobody else we will call the police. The police have to turn around and
:52:47. > :52:51.say the biggest word in the force, they have to say, no. This is not
:52:51. > :52:57.our job, our job is crime- prevention, attacking domestic
:52:57. > :53:04.violence, attacking a crime. That is what an independent PCC has to
:53:04. > :53:11.do. You have to make difficult decisions, and some of those are to
:53:11. > :53:20.say the police are not doing that any more. A question to make, that
:53:20. > :53:26.the support the cuts? -- a question to Nick Webb, does he support the
:53:26. > :53:31.cuts? We all would come up with different ways of saving money, but
:53:31. > :53:34.I do support these savings. I'm also very proud to be representing
:53:34. > :53:41.a party who have extended the definition on domestic violence
:53:41. > :53:51.which is more up-to-date, that has got Abu Hamza deported, and has
:53:51. > :53:51.
:53:51. > :53:56.made a right decision on the Gary McKinnon case. Let's look at the
:53:56. > :54:00.point of politicisation. You think that people who do not have a
:54:00. > :54:03.background in policing should not be doing the job. There is a view
:54:03. > :54:12.that someone in the police force, who has been in the police force,
:54:12. > :54:22.should not do the job. Answer that? The you have just seen an example
:54:22. > :54:30.about politicians arguing. -- you have just seen an example off
:54:30. > :54:35.politicians arguing. You need a police officer, one who has worked
:54:35. > :54:39.at a local level. The way that this is set up, we saw it early on the
:54:39. > :54:46.programme, the way it has been written, there will be conflict
:54:46. > :54:51.between the PCC and the Chief Constable. That is going to happen.
:54:51. > :54:59.My fear, if we have politicians and the role, is that they will be
:54:59. > :55:02.answerable not to the people, but to Cardiff, and to Westminster.
:55:02. > :55:09.would like to pick up on the fact we should be looking at a much more
:55:09. > :55:16.local level. It is quite a small force, all we need at the PCC to do
:55:16. > :55:25.is what the people once. That is what the PCC should be doing.
:55:25. > :55:35.are going to end now, I will ask the four argued, let's -- be four
:55:35. > :55:39.
:55:39. > :55:45.of you, let's hear one thing from you. Identified Fry better budget.
:55:45. > :55:47.-- I am going to fight for a better budget. You're absolutely right to
:55:47. > :55:55.say that there are a lot of similarities, the difference
:55:55. > :55:59.between me, I am going to get people see the raw data. In terms
:55:59. > :56:03.of supporting victims, I want to put together a panel in which
:56:03. > :56:08.charities will be involved, so we provide a good service. I think
:56:08. > :56:11.that I should fill the job, because I had the experience, the skills, I
:56:11. > :56:21.understand policing, and I care passionately about the people of
:56:21. > :56:22.
:56:22. > :56:30.Gwent. a lot of other people think they have the skills, to? A it is
:56:30. > :56:34.the experience of policing. Nobody wants crime to increase, 24% of
:56:34. > :56:38.domestic violence is reported, the police are not doing a good job,
:56:38. > :56:42.they need to get further into domestic violence, and if we have
:56:42. > :56:47.an increasing crime, all recorded crime, to show that we are doing
:56:47. > :56:50.the job properly, the PCC needs to have the strength to say that is
:56:50. > :56:55.why it is done. I'm the right person, because that is what I will
:56:55. > :56:58.do. We have to end the discussion there, you can find out more about
:56:58. > :57:06.the police and crime commissioner elections by going to our online
:57:06. > :57:09.pages, the address is on the screen. I hope you've enjoyed today's Gwent
:57:09. > :57:19.debate, we'll be having reports from the other three Welsh force
:57:19. > :57:19.
:57:19. > :57:23.areas in the run up to election day on the 15th of November. We will
:57:23. > :57:26.have reports from the other three areas on election day. That's
:57:26. > :57:30.nearly all from us this week but before we go back to Andrew, here's
:57:30. > :57:40.a quick spin through some of the political stories of the week in 60
:57:40. > :57:43.
:57:43. > :57:49.seconds. Implied Krumrey's Bethan Jenkins
:57:49. > :57:59.said she regretted the rat -- and actions after being arrested for
:57:59. > :58:03.
:58:03. > :58:09.drink-driving. David Jones said he was not hostile to new laws passed.
:58:09. > :58:14.The assembly's Public Accounts Committee will investigate the use
:58:14. > :58:16.of public money given to a charity. The Audit Office said that
:58:16. > :58:24.ministers failed to act on numerous warnings about the organisation
:58:24. > :58:29.before it was brought down by funding scandal. The skills
:58:30. > :58:34.Minister is hoping to meet Neville Southall, after he told people on
:58:34. > :58:44.the programme that he wanted to help jobless youngsters get a into
:58:44. > :58:52.
:58:52. > :58:56.That was the week in Sixty Seconds. When will he be out campaigning?
:58:56. > :59:04.mat tomorrow. Our iron out all around the area. A I'm out tomorrow,
:59:04. > :59:08.I think people deserve a rest on a Sunday. I'll be asking people what
:59:08. > :59:12.priorities should be. IM out tomorrow, a number of meetings,
:59:12. > :59:16.including a press conference and a public meeting. If you want some
:59:16. > :59:18.more politics then tune in to Radio Wales: Betsan Powys is chairing a
:59:18. > :59:21.discussion on the impact on Wales of the Scottish independence
:59:21. > :59:24.referendum, that's on Radio Wales very shortly. And don't forget to
:59:24. > :59:34.watch the Wales Report with Huw Edwards after the Ten O'Clock News