Author: Martin

Last night I was on Mustard TV discussing my ideas for policing in the east and what needs to be done to make Norfolk the safer county we all want to see.

Go to Part 2 to see my interview…

Last week the Green Party’s PCC candidates for Norfolk and Suffolk launched the manifesto for “Policing in the East” alongside Baroness Jenny Jones – the former Deputy Mayor of London.

Specific plans include a greater emphasis on under-or-unreported crimes such as domestic violence and rural thefts, which the Green Party candidates have claimed is particularly important to many residents in Norfolk and Suffolk.

This is the first time the Green Party are putting forward candidates anywhere in the region and are optimistic that the party’s vision for a more progressive form of policing and justice will resonate with voters on May 5th.

1) What issues in crime and policing does Great Yarmouth (town and borough) face that are unique to the area?

According to recent crime figures for Great Yarmouth, the most prevalent crimes are anti-social behaviour (ASB) and violent ones. In 2013 for instance, the ASB rate in Great Yarmouth was above the national average . Similarly the number of violent and sexual crimes and the amount of of drug-related offences was well above the national average and thus more action needs to be taken to remedy these. However, it is also worth pointing out that these figures showed that vehicle crime and burglary rates were low in the town and borough. Continue reading Concentrating on Yarmouth… my responses on how to make Great Yarmouth Safer

I am very concerned that turnout will not be much higher than last time and I think much of the blame for this must go to the government who introduced this extra layer of bureaucracy. In my experience on the doorstep, There is simply no public appetite for making policing party-political in this way. Residents want the police force to be accountable, not partisan.

After speaking with many residents about this, most people do not know what this role entails. Even though the Electoral Commission, in its report on the elections, stated that the low turnout was “a concern for anyone who cares about democracy“, the lessons do not seem to have been learnt. Continue reading No public appetite for making policing partisan

Earlier this week I was at the manifesto launch of the Green Party. I was proud to be able to contribute to the drafting of this document.

Helping small businesses and tackling rogue landlords were two of the pledges made by the Green Party in Norwich in its manifesto for this year’s local elections. By offering the use of shops and office space at a greatly subsidised rate, the Greens want to encourage new businesses to start up in the city. Continue reading Tackling flytipping in Norwich