Three candidates will contest next month’s Durham Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) election.

Labour's Joy Allen, Liberal Democrat Nigel Boddy and the Conservatives' Robert Potts are vying for the top job

The Durham post, first established in 2012, has been held by Labour’s Joy Allen since 2021, when she won the May election following the death of former PCC Ron Hogg. 

The Local Democracy Reporting Service has interviewed all three candidates ahead of the election on Thursday, May 2. 

First up is the Conservatives’ hopeful Robert Potts. 

As a former police officer in County Durham, Robert Potts is hoping to upset the odds and become the region’s first ever Conservative PCC. 

The Northern Echo: Robert Potts has been backed by the region's Conservative MPs Richard Holden, Peter Gibson and Dehenna Davison.Robert Potts has been backed by the region's Conservative MPs Richard Holden, Peter Gibson and Dehenna Davison. (Image: Robert Potts)

Why should people care about the PCC election?

“It has a massive impact on the society we live in. I understand people’s apathy - I speak to people who say they’re not going to vote - but policing has a massive impact on people’s lives. 

“Durham has the highest increase in recorded crime in England. Those are things we can change with a PCC who knows about Durham Constabulary and how it works.”

How can you restore public trust in the police? 

“The force has just been downgraded from outstanding to requires improvement in two sections by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary. 

“If you want to contact the police you have to be able to call them. The 101 system missed over 28,500 calls in the first half of last year. If you aren’t able to report incidents to the police because the wait is so long, that doesn’t give people trust in the police. People need to know that if they’re living in an area with anti-social behaviour a police officer will be there to deal with it.”

Pledges 

  • More officers on streets
  • Keep local stations open
  • Crackdown on off-road bikes
  • Improve 101 service and response times 
  • Restore pride, integrity and transparency
  • Anti-social behaviour reduction

Mr Potts has repeatedly criticised PCC Allen over plans to create a new centralised Durham Constabulary custody suite in Spennymoor, which he has labelled a “white elephant”. The Conservative candidate warns it would see neighbourhood police officers repeatedly drawn away from their designated patches. 

He said: “We’re closing things down in our areas, which means that people from every part of the county will have to travel all the way to Spennymoor, and we will lose officers from our communities. People want officers in our communities. They’re not after a massive new unit in Spennymoor, they want police to deal with what’s being phoned in.”

The former officer, who is now a county councillor for the Evenwood ward near West Auckland, also bemoaned the condition of the police’s estate and lack of resources. He’s pledged to get more officers on streets and improve the upkeep of local stations. 

“I used to work at Ferryhill police office and now it’s absolutely run down. The windows look like they’re rotting and no work has been done on the building. That used to be a place where we used to take pride in working out of. How can anybody expect to control an area when there’s only two or three officers based there?”

Mr Potts has repeatedly criticised PCC Allen over plans to create a new centralised Durham Constabulary custody suite in Spennymoor, which he has labelled a “white elephant”. The Conservative candidate warns it would see neighbourhood police officers repeatedly drawn away from their designated patches. 

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As well as trust, Mr Potts has also pledged to restore “pride, integrity and transparency” in the force. He added: “People don’t want officers turning out to produce reports hours after the incident. If their house is getting burgled they want a police officer there straight away.”

Candidates were forced to endure a recount in 2021 due to an admin error, with the final result showing a difference of more than 3,000 votes between Labour and the Conservatives. While admitting it is a tough ask Mr Potts is hopeful of producing an upset. 

He said: “My hope is to get as many people out and voting for me as possible. A lot of people have said they’re not going to bother voting for the PCC election. I’m trying to tell people how important it is. People don’t want to see a massive rise in crime or a communications department that you can’t phone.”