Zero-tolerance policy and more police on front line, pledges new Tory crime commissioner

THE defeat of former Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Hardyal Dhindsa on Saturday came as a shock to Labour, and yet another thing for the Conservatives to toast.

Even with the heavy losses they had already suffered by then, there were still cautious hopes in Labour circles that the PCC race would go their way.

As it is, a strong campaign from Conservative candidate PCC Angelique Foster, combined with a prevailing sentiment towards her party across the county, proved victorious.

Her campaign literature described the Conservatives as “the party of law and order”, and confidently asserted that “evidence shows that Conservative Police and Crime Commissioners perform better than any other party”.

Now she’s in post, can she deliver on the bold claim? And what are the issues that people in Derbyshire want their new PCC to tackle?

We spoke to Angelique Foster about her victory in the campaign, and her plans, and priorities, in these early days of the new job.

Originally from France, Mrs Foster has lived in Derbyshire for more than 20 years. In the 11 years she has been a councillor Mrs Foster has become a well-known figure in Derbyshire politics, holding positions of leader of Dronfield Town Council and, up until last week, the cabinet member for Corporate Services at Derbyshire County Council.

She said: “It is an honour to have been elected by the people of Derbyshire and Derby City as their Police and Crime Commissioner. “The result did not come as a surprise; after speaking to many residents in Derby City and throughout Derbyshire during the campaign I had a clear understanding of the public mood.

“Over the last two years I have met with residents throughout Derbyshire and Derby City and they spoke about all types of crime, from speeding to anti social behaviour, and from burglaries to domestic violence.

“What became clear is what they wanted to see. They want a stronger police presence with more officers on our streets and more police patrols. They want to see a tougher approach to tackling all crime and low-level anti-social behaviour.

“They also wanted the victims of crime and law abiding citizens to be put first.”

Accordingly, her campaign promised traditional Conservative approaches to policing. She pledged to be “tough on crime”, “put victims first”, and “support the police to use the tools and powers they have, like stop and search”.

Clearly it was a powerful message – enough to win 32,000 votes more than her opponent, who had held the role since 2016.

Mrs Foster said: “People want to see a less laissez-faire approach to tackling crime and want to see a tougher stance towards criminals.

“Other factors such as the tougher sentencing and extra prison places brought in by central government also played a part.

“As a Conservative, representing the party of law and order, this is what I offered voters on the 7th of May.”

Now that she is in place and the real work begins, how does she plan to turn the rhetoric into reality?

Mrs Foster says a “zero-tolerance” approach to policing low-level crime will guide her first days in the job.

“I will be making sure that while controlling the police budget, I apply some common sense and use the resources available sensibly and drive efficiencies wherever I can. The focus will be on frontline policing to fight crime and tackle anti social behaviour.

“I will be working with the chief constable to recruit more police and bring about a stronger police presence. I want to reassure our rural communities that they won’t be neglected any longer, while still dealing with crime in our urban areas.

“I will expect a zero-tolerance approach to low-level crime as well. I also intend to work closely with our regional partners to fight organised criminals coming in and out of our county thinking it is easy pickings.”

The focus will be on frontline policing to fight crime and tackle anti social behaviour.

Angelique Foster