The Labour candidate to become Northamptonshire’s first Police and Crime Commissioner has vowed to make sure police spend 90 per cent of their time on the county’s streets.
Lee Barron has made the call for “90 per cent in Northamptonshire” after he claimed national figures revealed the county was behind other parts of the UK.
He also vowed to fight for a “fair deal” for the county.
Trade union leader Mr Barron said: “I am tired of the people of Northamptonshire getting a rough deal compared to other area.
“If elected in November, I will demand that more police are on the front line to bring our levels up to at least the average for the rest of the country.
“I will further demand and expect that 90 per cent of police time is spent on our streets, visible for communities to see and in line with the rest of the country.”
He added: “It’s time we had somebody who was prepared to champion our county, our towns and our communities.
“I will demand the best for them, not simply stand by as we get yet another report confirming we are not up to the standards enjoyed by others. Communities in Northamptonshire deserve better.”
In a fresh attack on his Conservative rival, Adam Simmonds’, policy of asking parish councils to pay £5,000 to train a special constable, he added: “I will stand up for those communities and we will get the best we can and not look at gimmicks like sponsorship for training our police.
“We will buck the trend and begin to put Northamptonshire where it truly belongs, at the top of the league, not sadly lacking behind everybody else.”
Meanwhile, the UK Independence Party has revealed it will be announcing its candidate shortly.
The Chronicle & Echo understands the party is due to select Jim MacArthur, who also stood for the party at the last general election in Northampton North.
In a letter to the newspaper, due to be published this week, a party spokesman said: “We will shortly be issuing a statement giving his details and supporting his candidacy.”
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