Tag: Cambridgeshire Police

Cambs Police Tsar Greatly Exercised By Cycling Offences

08:10 Friday 4th January 2013
Bigger Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

[R]ONNIE BARBOUR: We’ve been talking .. you’ve mainly been talking about Sir Graham Bright’s initiative that the police should prioritise dangerous cyclists in the county. .. Let’s speak to Sir Graham Bright, who’s Cambridgeshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner. First of all, we’re just wondering where this initiative came from. Were you getting a lot of emails and complaint letters from some of the people of Cambridgeshire?
SIR GRAHAM BRIGHT: The answer is yes. We’re looking at not just cycles, but anyone who fails to observe the law. I haven’t sort of suddenly made this up. The law is the law. I agree that there are motorists that need pulling in as well, particularly those that use mobile phones, and even text from mobile phones when they’re driving. But the cyclist .. because it’s Cambridge, Cambridge itself is a city where there are more cycles per head of population than any other city in the country. And obviously it’s something that concerns pedestrians. And yes, I’ve had a lot of people .. Continue reading “Cambs Police Tsar Greatly Exercised By Cycling Offences”

Honi Soit Qui Mal Y Pense

17:20 Friday 30th November 2012
Drive BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

CHRIS MANN: The man who is set to become Cambridgeshire’s first ever Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner has been defending the pay he is to receive. Newly-elected Sir Graham Bright has chosen his Conservative colleague Brian Ashton, a former Mayor of Ely, as his number two. That’s on a salary of £28,000 a year for two days work a week. In his first interview since accepting the role, he spoke to me earlier. We talked about the time he quit his council post over charges of corruption that he was finally cleared of. But first, the role itself. (TAPE)
BRIAN ASHTON: I think this is a question of a sort of sense of public service and duty. Yes, the post receives a remuneration. That’s certainly true. But I think bringing to bear one’s experience can be helpful. And I’m sure that’s what we’ll both do. Continue reading “Honi Soit Qui Mal Y Pense”

Sir Graham Bright Cambridgeshire Police Crime Commissioner First Interview

08:40 Monday 19th November 2012
Bigger Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

AUDIO HERE

PAUL STAINTON: Only fifteen per cent of us bothered to turn out on Friday and put a cross in one of the two boxes it would seem. Even less of us wanted the role in the first place. But despite that, Cambridgeshire got its first ever Police and Crime Commissioner this Friday. Here was the moment when the first winner was announced (TAPE)
RETURNING OFFICER: I therefore give notice that Sir Graham Bright the Conservative Party candidate is duly elected as the Police and Crime Commissioner for the Cambridgeshire Police area. (CHEERS) (LIVE)
PAUL STAINTON: That was the moment. So what challenges does Sir Graham face? And with just fifteen per cent of you taking part in the vote and showing any interest at all, has the new Commissioner got any credibility at all? Let’s speak to Sir Graham. Morning Sir Graham. Continue reading “Sir Graham Bright Cambridgeshire Police Crime Commissioner First Interview”

Professor Lawrence Sherman On Police Commissioners

07:52 Wednesday 7th November 2012
Bigger Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

PAUL STAINTON: All about elections on the Bigger Breakfast this morning. And just as the excitement drops from the US Presidential election, we get excited again in eight days time, don’t we, for the Police and Crime Commissioners’ elections. What? Seven candidates fighting for your vote. .. Let’s speak to Professor Lawrence Sherman. He’s Director of the Institute of Criminology at Cambridge University. Now I was particularly apathetic in my cue there because somebody texted in yesterday and said “apart from you mentioned it on your show, and Andy Harper mentioned it“, he’s not seen a thing. No posters, no people, nobody knocking on his doors, and that’s a bit of a problem, isn’t it?
LAWRENCE SHERMAN: Yes. There is a website, with a lot of information, BBC Radio Cambridgeshire has one, so does the Home Office. And the positions of these seven candidates are spelled out, and I think they’re really important policy issues that people ought to pay attention to. For example, if they don’t want to have their police department outsourced to G4S, which is one of the issues the candidates address. Continue reading “Professor Lawrence Sherman On Police Commissioners”

Cambs Police Commissioner Video

17:40 Wednesday 8th August 2012
Drive BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

CHRIS MANN: Cambridgeshire Police Authority have made a special video on YouTube to mark 100 days to go until the election for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough’s first Police and Crime Commissioner. In November people will be able to choose who they will hold to account .. for the services provided. Ruth Rogers is the Chair of Cambridgeshire Police Authority. So. You’re trying to get people interested in something that frankly up to now they’ve shown little interest in.
RUTH ROGERS: Yes. This is a completely new election of course. It’s not something that any of us will have voted for before.
CHRIS MANN: Or asked for even.
RUTH ROGERS: The Government was very keen. They were absolutely certain that there was lots of support for this idea that people wanted to have somebody that they could hold to account through the ballot box. So that’s the purpose of this, that people will be able to hold this person to account by electing them, or not electing them in years to come, if they feel that they haven’t performed properly.
CHRIS MANN: They really have handed you a bit of a dud here Ruth. They say it’s going to be a popular idea. Now you’ve got to get people interested in it. I don’t sense a huge clamour out there for people to have yet another election for yet another public servant to be paid .. how much is it? Continue reading “Cambs Police Commissioner Video”

Paul Bullen UKIP for Police Commissioner

08:35 Wednesday 18th July 2012
Peterborough Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

PAUL STAINTON: A magistrate is to stand for election to become the Police and Crime Commissioner in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. Paul Bullen, who sits at Huntingdon Magistrates Court, has been announced as the UKIP candidate for the election in November. We can talk to him now. .. Why? Why are you standing?
PAUL BULLEN: We as a party, as you probably know, do not believe that we need Police and Crime Commissioners. We believe in an elected authority, or committee, to oversee the running of the police.
PAUL STAINTON: Well that’s a bit silly then, isn’t it? There’s no point standing. Continue reading “Paul Bullen UKIP for Police Commissioner”

Julian Huppert on G4S and the Cambridgeshire Police Contract

17:07 Tuesday 17th July 2012
Drive BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

CHRIS MANN: We start tonight with news about G4S, the company at the centre of the Olympic security shambles, and the same firm inline to take over the admin. of Cambridgeshire Police force. They’ve been named as the preferred bidder by our county’s Police Authority. But tonight, that potential deal is under intense scrutiny. It follows a humiliating appearance in front of the Home Affairs Select Committee by the Chief Executive of G4S, Nick Buckles, who said he was sorry for failing to provide thousands of promised guards for the Olympic Games, bust insisted, to the astonishment of many watching, that he still intended to claim his management fee of £57 million. He was questioned closely by Cambridge MP Julian Huppert, a member of the Committee, on a further failure by his firm, just today, when only 30 security staff turned up for an Olympic task, when 200 were contracted for. Continue reading “Julian Huppert on G4S and the Cambridgeshire Police Contract”

Policing and Profit

07:22 Friday 29th June 2012
Peterborough Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

PAUL STAINTON: Cambridgeshire Police are to look at outsourcing some back office services. The county’s Police Authority approved a move at a meeting last night, but said officers need to look at other ways too to make savings. Along with forces in Besfordshire, Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire, they’ve all got to make savings of about £73 million by 2016. It’s thought bringing in private companies to run services like finance, HR and IT might help them do that. Our reporter Natasha Malcolm-Brown has been speaking to Chief Constable Simon Parr. She started by asking how realistic it was to think cuts wouldn’t now affect front line services. Continue reading “Policing and Profit”