Category: Election

One of Norfolk’s greatest strengths is its sense of community. Whether it’s a village looking after its older residents, businesses supporting one another on the high street, or neighbours coming together after flooding or a major incident, we know that people feel safest when they know those around them.

Our police service should be part of that community too.

For many people, the ideal police officer isn’t someone they only see when something has gone wrong. It’s someone who knows the area, understands local concerns and is recognised as a familiar face. Building those relationships helps prevent crime before it happens and gives people the confidence to report concerns early.

As Police and Crime Commissioner, I want to strengthen neighbourhood policing and explore innovative ideas such as Tri-Service Safety Officers, combining elements of community policing, emergency response and fire prevention. In a county as large and diverse as Norfolk, we need public services that work together and make the best use of resources.

Being visible isn’t simply about officers walking the beat. It’s about making policing accessible. Residents should have regular opportunities to meet local officers, discuss priorities and see how concerns are being acted upon. Parish councils, town councils and local councillors all have valuable knowledge that should inform policing decisions.

This approach benefits everyone. It helps businesses feel supported, gives young people positive relationships with the police, reassures older residents and strengthens confidence across our communities.

Norfolk deserves a police service that is rooted in the places it serves—visible, approachable and trusted by the communities that know it best.

Norfolk is blessed with beautiful countryside, thriving market towns and vibrant communities. But whether you live in the city, on the coast or in one of our rural villages, everyone deserves to feel safe where they live.

Last week I spent the day with Adrian Ramsay, the Member of Parliament for Waveney Valley to understand the concerns his residents are bringing up about crime and anti social behaviour. The area he represents covers Diss, Harleston and several rural villages in south Norfolk and he said that the priority was about more visible policing to promote community cohesion and secondly about speeding.

This tallies with my own experience. Road safety is one of the issues raised with me most often. Speeding through villages, dangerous driving and roads that feel unsafe for pedestrians and cyclists affect quality of life every single day. These aren’t just transport issues, they’re community safety issues.

As Police and Crime Commissioner, I will work with local councils, parish councils and the Norfolk Constabulary to ensure that road safety is treated as a priority. Education, enforcement and better-designed streets all have a role to play in reducing harm and making our communities safer.

I also want rural crime to receive the attention it deserves. Farmers, small businesses and rural residents should know that offences such as machinery theft, fly-tipping, wildlife crime and organised criminal activity are taken just as seriously as crimes in our towns and cities.

Norfolk is one county, and everyone deserves the same commitment to keeping their community safe, wherever they live.

By focusing on prevention, partnership and local knowledge, we can protect the places that make Norfolk such a special county while ensuring every community has confidence that the police are there when they’re needed.

For many people in Norfolk, policing feels increasingly distant. You might see fewer officers on the streets, struggle to know who to contact about local problems, or feel that decisions are being made somewhere else by people who do not understand your area. My priority is to change that.

I want to see residents genuinely notice practical differences about how the police engage in their areas. In a village worried about speeding, the police would be expected to work with parish councils and residents on a clear local plan. In a town struggling with anti-social behaviour, local businesses, youth workers and police would be brought together rather than passing responsibility between organisations. In Norwich neighbourhoods dealing with shop theft or street disorder, residents would have regular opportunities to tell the police what is happening and see what action follows. And to an extent that is already being done and very successfully, but it needs to be done consistently across Norfolk.

Partnership working matters because many of the issues that make people feel unsafe are not purely police problems. A teenager repeatedly getting into trouble may need support from schools and youth services. A vulnerable person causing repeated disturbances may need help from health and social care. By getting organisations around the same table, we can solve problems earlier instead of responding after they have escalated.

For residents, there’s good news. It means less bureaucracy and more action. It means not being told that an issue falls between agencies. It means clearer communication about what is being done and who is responsible.

I also want policing in Norfolk to be less political. Whether you live in Norwich, King’s Lynn, Great Yarmouth, Thetford, Cromer, Dereham or any of the other market towns or villages, you should feel the police are on your side. The measure of success should not be headlines or party advantage. It should be whether people feel safer walking home, whether communities trust the police, and whether local problems are actually being solved.

That is what putting communities back at the heart of policing would mean in everyday life across Norfolk. That is what we in the Green Party have long beeb pushing for and will continue to push for.

Let’s make history and elect a Green Party Police and Crime Commissioner for Norfolk on 16th July!

I have grown up in Norfolk since I was a child. I love this county, its countryside, its people. Sadly, Norfolk is not immune to national problems associated with county lines drug dealing, while rural and community policing seems to be an afterthought for those in power. That’s why I’m standing to become Norfolk’s Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC).

As former Lord Mayor of Norwich with over a decade of experience representing the area of Norfolk with the highest crime rates in the county, I sadly see firsthand how crime and anti-social behaviour (everything from graffiti and fly-tipping to drug dealing) blights people’s lives. Building on my experiences bringing the community and constabulary closer together in Norwich, I would do so elsewhere in Norfolk, so that people like you get to know their local police officers.

Years of cuts to services have meant that people across Norfolk feel less safe than ever before. But the police cannot simply arrest their way out of the problems. We need a fundamental change in approach from national government to deal with the underlying causes of crime. There is clear evidence to show that rates of violence are higher in more unequal societies, and we simply must have a frank debate about drug reform. I will do exactly that, and I will be a powerful voice calling for a new approach to crime prevention.

Finally, the Green Party has questioned the need for this by-election and has argued that the positions of PCC should not exist. Policing should never be politicised. Therefore, if elected I will remain as independent minded as possible and will never shirk from focusing on the issues that residents report to me.

Members on Norwich City Council last month unanimously supported a Green Party motion, which called for greater efforts to deal with the issue of single-use plastics (SUPs) in the city.

We were delighted to present this motion at the council’s meeting in September and reassured that all other parties supported the initiative. Our hope is that Norwich will become a pioneer as a plastic-free city and as Greens we believe that the council can take a lead on this matter. Continue reading Norwich to become a single-use plastic free city?