VOTE FOR SHERMA BATSON 15th NOVEMBER 2012
Click here to see her website
PRESS RELEASE/SATURDAY 3 NOVEMBER
Sherma with Yvette Cooper
Labour candidate Sherma Batson will “stand up for the community” as Police and Crime Commissioner.
The words came from Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper in giving her support to the Labour candidate during a Press conference for Hertfordshire’s local media on Saturday.
She said: “We don’t want Tory cheerleaders for cuts decimating our police - we want people such as Sherma Batson who will stand up for their communities.
“This election is about the future of policing and meeting the challenges ahead. I know that in Sherma Batson we have a candidate who can meet those challenges.
“Her record of working in the community will be vital to the role of Police and Crime Commissioner,” she said.
Talking of police cuts, the Shadow Home Secretary said: “The Government is cutting 300 police officers from Hertfordshire. It’s time to send a message to the Tories that they are on the wrong track.”
She said: You don’t cut crime by cutting front-line police.
“The Tory-led Government is imposing 20 per cent cuts to the police. In Hertfordshire that means cutting 300 police officers by 2015
She added: “The public needs to trust that policing is being done in the interests of justice, not the corporate balance sheet.”
Sherma Batson said: “The cuts to policing in Hertfordshire are showing that the Government is being weak on crime and weak on the causes of crime.”
She said one key issue throughout the campaign has been her resistance to police cuts on the scale being imposed by the Government.
“The Labour Party recognised there had to be cuts and proposed a 12 per cent reduction in police spending. This was even accepted by the Her Majesty’s Inspectorate.
“Instead we are seeing massive cuts and the threat of privatisation where a security company such as G4S is looking to take over services in spite of its record on not delivering fully for the London 2012 Olympic Games.
“We want to see policing which supports the public, not a private security company running services for profit,” she added.
The words came from Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper in giving her support to the Labour candidate during a Press conference for Hertfordshire’s local media on Saturday.
She said: “We don’t want Tory cheerleaders for cuts decimating our police - we want people such as Sherma Batson who will stand up for their communities.
“This election is about the future of policing and meeting the challenges ahead. I know that in Sherma Batson we have a candidate who can meet those challenges.
“Her record of working in the community will be vital to the role of Police and Crime Commissioner,” she said.
Talking of police cuts, the Shadow Home Secretary said: “The Government is cutting 300 police officers from Hertfordshire. It’s time to send a message to the Tories that they are on the wrong track.”
She said: You don’t cut crime by cutting front-line police.
“The Tory-led Government is imposing 20 per cent cuts to the police. In Hertfordshire that means cutting 300 police officers by 2015
She added: “The public needs to trust that policing is being done in the interests of justice, not the corporate balance sheet.”
Sherma Batson said: “The cuts to policing in Hertfordshire are showing that the Government is being weak on crime and weak on the causes of crime.”
She said one key issue throughout the campaign has been her resistance to police cuts on the scale being imposed by the Government.
“The Labour Party recognised there had to be cuts and proposed a 12 per cent reduction in police spending. This was even accepted by the Her Majesty’s Inspectorate.
“Instead we are seeing massive cuts and the threat of privatisation where a security company such as G4S is looking to take over services in spite of its record on not delivering fully for the London 2012 Olympic Games.
“We want to see policing which supports the public, not a private security company running services for profit,” she added.
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Notes
The Tories · The Tories are cutting the police by 20 per cent - or by £2 billion · 15,000 police officers being cut by 2015 · 7,000 cut from the frontline already in the first two years – more than the experts predicted would be cut over a whole Parliament · Opening the door to mass privatisation of the police service · Supporting members of the Cabinet swearing at police officers and reportedly calling them “plebs” · Making it harder for the police to get CCTV, use DNA evidence and cutting work with communities to tackle the causes of crime · Scrapping anti-social behaviour orders and leaving communities without sufficient tools Labour · Would back cuts of about 12 per cent to police budgets - or £1 billion over a Parliament · Work Labour did in Government, supported by separate work from Her Majesty’s Inspectorate, said our plan would protect police numbers and protect the frontline. The Government has doubled our cuts · Rule out private companies patrolling our streets. Any other public-private partnerships must pass tough tests on value for money, resilience, accountability and most of all public trust. · Giving the police and communities the tools they need to cut crime |
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Sherma in Watford
Sherma Batson Labour PCC candidate was pounding the streets on Watford on Saturday morning with a team of local supporters. Read more
PRIORITY FOR POLICE IS FIGHTING CRIME, SAYS CANDIDATE
THE priority for police in Hertfordshire is fighting crime – not making a profit for a private security company, says Sherma Batson, the Labour candidate for Police and Crime Commissioner. She is concerned about proposals to outsource back-room police services to the private security company G4S.
“We have a company which made a complete and utter mess of its contract for the London Olympic Games and it wants to take on key services which are crucial to the running of the police in Hertfordshire,” she said. “There seems to be too much haste in making this decision and no real examination of whether there is an in-house alternative for running such services. “I think we may see in the future that these back-room services are left without the expertise that is obviously needed.” She said, however, that Labour sees there is a need for public-private partnerships which are part of modern policing. “We should not jump at the conclusion that the private sector cannot be involved in public services “But the use of the private sector means we need tougher rules to ensure these companies are subject to greater accountability. “If private security companies are delivering any functions for the police they should be accountable to the Independent Police Complaints Commission,” she added. She promised if elected that as Police and Crime Commissioner she would ensure that:
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Sherma Batson: Labour's PCC Candidate
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Biography notes
Sherma Batson MBE, 55, who is married with one daughter and a grandson, has in the past served on the Hertfordshire Police Authority and was an elected member of Hertfordshire County Council for eight years.
She is currently a councillor on Stevenage Borough Council and is the Cabinet member for community, health and older people.
Sherma has lived in Hertfordshire since the early 1960s and has more than 30 years experience of work in the voluntary, public and private sectors in corporate management and administrative roles.
While a member of the Hertfordshire Police Authority she was involved as the lead member on equality, community engagement, professional standards and training and development.
She is currently a councillor on Stevenage Borough Council and is the Cabinet member for community, health and older people.
Sherma has lived in Hertfordshire since the early 1960s and has more than 30 years experience of work in the voluntary, public and private sectors in corporate management and administrative roles.
While a member of the Hertfordshire Police Authority she was involved as the lead member on equality, community engagement, professional standards and training and development.
Let's make it a referendum on policing
Sherma talked to Watford Labour Party members recently.
Her message was that the coalition government had invented the Commissioner office, at considerable expense, as a way of enforcing their agenda of cuts to community policing. Labour had opposed the idea from the start. But now that the elections were a reality, it was important for Hertfordshire voters who cared about crime, victim support and policing, to make their views known through the ballot box.
Sherma will stand on a platform of standing up for the local community. Some cost-savings have to be found across the public sector, and policing will have to find some of them. However, she opposes, and as Commissioner will continue to oppose, cuts that endanger communities and let down victims of crime. She opposes the wholesale outsourcing of policing functions to external providers such as G4S.
The coalition government’s cuts, which are only just beginning, are already affecting front-line policing in Hertfordshire.
If you agree with Sherma that the cuts are going too far and too fast, and putting vulnerable Herfordshire residents at risk, then use your vote on 15th November to send a message back to the government.
The Police & Crime Commissioner elections are on 15th November 2012.
Her message was that the coalition government had invented the Commissioner office, at considerable expense, as a way of enforcing their agenda of cuts to community policing. Labour had opposed the idea from the start. But now that the elections were a reality, it was important for Hertfordshire voters who cared about crime, victim support and policing, to make their views known through the ballot box.
Sherma will stand on a platform of standing up for the local community. Some cost-savings have to be found across the public sector, and policing will have to find some of them. However, she opposes, and as Commissioner will continue to oppose, cuts that endanger communities and let down victims of crime. She opposes the wholesale outsourcing of policing functions to external providers such as G4S.
The coalition government’s cuts, which are only just beginning, are already affecting front-line policing in Hertfordshire.
If you agree with Sherma that the cuts are going too far and too fast, and putting vulnerable Herfordshire residents at risk, then use your vote on 15th November to send a message back to the government.
The Police & Crime Commissioner elections are on 15th November 2012.
Promoted by Ralph Raynor on behalf of Sherma Batson both at Popple way, Stevenage SG1 3TG and published by Mike Jackson of 270 St. Albans Rd, Watford WD24 6PS
