Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Liberal Democrats have, as predicted by CambsNews, selected Cllr Edna Murphy as their candidate for the upcoming Cambridgeshire Police and Crime Commissioner election. A party spokesperson said: “Edna Murphy brings a unique blend of expertise and insight to the role of Police and Crime Commissioner.”
The spokesperson added; “She served as a magistrate in Cambridge for over 25 years, including many years chairing the youth court, and she currently chairs the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Fire Authority, recognised as one of the most successful and respected in the country.”
Cllr Murphy, who is a Lib Dem county councillor for Bar Hill, spoke of her key priorities.
She said: “The police need to do more on persistent problems such as sexual assault and on new priorities such as fraud.
“Victims of those crimes currently report to the police just one in six or one in seven of the crimes they experience, which shows just how low victims’ confidence is in the service. That needs massively to improve.”
Cllr Murphy added: “Recent years have seen too many cuts in criminal justice expenditure.
“I am calling for better funding for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough police. Under the Tories, we have the seventh lowest funding per head of population in the country and the third lowest number of staff per 1,000 population.
“Cambridgeshire is low on the priority list for this Tory Government and residents deserve better.”
She said: “I’ll fight not just for fair funding but also for smarter spending, moving away from policies that don’t work to reduce crime, such as short prison sentences for non-violent offenders, and towards solutions that truly make us safer by making it less likely that any of us will be victims of crime in the future.
“I’ll champion effective crime reduction strategies such as restorative justice, tackling prolific offenders, and evidence-driven policing. Above all, I’ll ensure that the police are proactive and treat victims with respect, not just as statistics.”
The Chief Executive of East Cambridgeshire District Council, John Hill, has again been appointed as the Police Area Returning Officer (PARO) for Cambridgeshire for the 2024 PCC elections.
The election of the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Cambridgeshire will take place on Thursday 2 May 2024.
