NEW Kent Police & Crime Commissioner elected May 2016
Tris OSBORNE, Labour
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Gurvinder SANDHER, Independent
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Henry BOLTON
UKIP
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----ELECTED----- Matthew SCOTT, Conservative
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Steve UNCLES, English Democrat
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Dave NAGHI, Lib Dem
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Click on the candidate's photo to link to their own general statement and campaign website
SPOKES sent 5 questions to each candidate ...
Dear Candidate
Spokes East Kent campaigns for safer cycling in the county of Kent and improved safety for all vulnerable road users. If elected, you will be in a unique position to influence the unsatisfactory and tragic level of cyclist death and serious injury in Kent, and the poor rates of conviction.
We will be letting our 600 members and mailing list subscribers know how all candidates respond to the questions below and their votes could make a big difference on election day.
Can you confirm that, if elected, you will
1. ensure Kent Police follow every tenet of the College of Policing’s publication 'Authorised Professional Practice on Investigating Road Deaths and serious injury collisions'?
2. ensure that Kent Police treat all road deaths as an unlawful killing, until the contrary is proved substantially?
3. improve the level of evidence-gathering taken at the scene of road traffic incidents? For example:
5. ensure Kent Police encourage reporting of incidents of dangerous behaviour on the roads, so that the warning letter, as agreed with Spokes, can be sent to potential offenders, even when there is insufficient evidence to prosecute?
We look forward to hearing from you.
Spokes East Kent Cycle Campaign
Spokes East Kent campaigns for safer cycling in the county of Kent and improved safety for all vulnerable road users. If elected, you will be in a unique position to influence the unsatisfactory and tragic level of cyclist death and serious injury in Kent, and the poor rates of conviction.
We will be letting our 600 members and mailing list subscribers know how all candidates respond to the questions below and their votes could make a big difference on election day.
Can you confirm that, if elected, you will
1. ensure Kent Police follow every tenet of the College of Policing’s publication 'Authorised Professional Practice on Investigating Road Deaths and serious injury collisions'?
2. ensure that Kent Police treat all road deaths as an unlawful killing, until the contrary is proved substantially?
3. improve the level of evidence-gathering taken at the scene of road traffic incidents? For example:
- encourage the use of more varied forms of evidence such as helmet cam and CCTV footage?
- ensure that the least possible time passes between the incident and the recording of eye-witness accounts?
- ensure that a suspect’s mobile phone is immediately confiscated and later analysed?
- ensure that all suspects have a professional eye test?
5. ensure Kent Police encourage reporting of incidents of dangerous behaviour on the roads, so that the warning letter, as agreed with Spokes, can be sent to potential offenders, even when there is insufficient evidence to prosecute?
We look forward to hearing from you.
Spokes East Kent Cycle Campaign
... The new commissioer said:
Matthew Scott (Con)
Many thanks for your email on behalf of Spokes East Kent. I apologise for the slight delay in replying as I have been looking into each of the points you have raised and where responsibility lies.
I will give you a commitment to look into all of these matters if I am elected and meet with you to both discuss them and how they might be implemented. Many of them are within the remit of the Chief Constable as operational policing and so would use the Commissioner's role of holding the police to account to secure safer roads and improved investigations for all cyclists.
Kind regards
Matthew
SPOKES will seek an early meeting with Matthew Scott to discuss these points
Many thanks for your email on behalf of Spokes East Kent. I apologise for the slight delay in replying as I have been looking into each of the points you have raised and where responsibility lies.
I will give you a commitment to look into all of these matters if I am elected and meet with you to both discuss them and how they might be implemented. Many of them are within the remit of the Chief Constable as operational policing and so would use the Commissioner's role of holding the police to account to secure safer roads and improved investigations for all cyclists.
Kind regards
Matthew
SPOKES will seek an early meeting with Matthew Scott to discuss these points
Other candidates also replied:
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Gurvinder Sandher (Ind)
Thank you for taking the time to contact me. You make some very valid points, as someone with 2 young boys who cycle on a regular basis in the semi rural area where we live I appreciate all the work that campaigns like yours do to promote safer cycling in Kent. I would appreciate if we can have a chat over the phone over the next few days, you can ring me on xxxxxxx but I am in and out of the office a lot over the next 2 days or give me a number and I will call you. Either way road safety is an important issue and if I am successful I want to work with groups like yours to create a strategy working with Kent Police and other partners to ensure we have safer roads in Kent not just for cyclists but also for pedestrians. I apologise for the slow response but I am running an Indepdendent Campaign without any political advsors and doing my full time job running a charity at the same time. Best Wishes Gurvinder Sandher Tris Osborne (Lab)
No reply. Steve Uncles (Eng Dem)
No reply. Henry Bolton (UKIP)
No reply. |
David Naghi (Lib Dem)
Thank you very much indeed for your very well informed ad useful questions. My colleagues at Maidstone Borough Council have just been in the process of refreshing their cycling and walking strategy as part of their new Local Plan. This is key to delivering a reduction in congestion and air pollution. In order to ensure that there is a shift away from polluting motor vehicles and towards healthier alternatives, such as cycling, there needs to be a very serious effort made to ensure that our roads are much safer. So I have no hesitation in endorsing the very sound proposals that are outlined below, with the exception of the point relating to the mobile phone. There may well be every reason to confiscate a mobile phone where there is ANY reason to believe that it was in use or contributed in any way to a possible crime. Where this is clearly not the case, and there will be such cases there should be no need for confiscation. It would seem reasonable to retain the reasonable cause approach that has generally applied in British Policing, if only because removing it opens the door to "creeping" extensions of powers in unexpected directions. Additionally I feel that it would help if the police were more supportive of community programmes, such as speed watch and extended the very limited powers PCSOs have in Kent compared to some other Police Areas. Yours Sincerely, David Naghi |
Matthew Scott was elected as the Kent PCC on Thurs 5th May