[TalMichael]

As I said, pepper sprays can be more dangerous than Tasers. I agree that officers using any such devices need to be properly trained and would ensure the Chief Constable publishes his policies and practices. Reason for police officers not being routinely armed is not training though – it is that this would change the relationship between police officers and citizens and not in a good way.

I have certainly spent lots of time knocking on doors throughout North Wales as well as delivering leaflets and letters and making myself available in public places for voters to ask me questions. With 520,000 voters there’s a lot of ground to cover though!

[TalMichael]

The replies to your questions are set out below:
Q1. How will hyperlocal policing priorities be set, on a more local level than North Wales as a whole. Will there be specific local priorities for say Wrexham, or Rhosddu and will councillors have a say in setting those and holding the police to account for their performance against them?
I think it is important for the police, council and other stakeholders to agree local priorities. There is a structure in place to do this, which is the Community Safety Partnership and I will want to engage with it. The Council’s Scrutiny Panel has the responsibility for holding the partnership to account for its performance.
Q2. We understand the police contribution to the local CCTV operation is comparatively low however it is increasingly relied upon. Are you able to commit to keeping the CCTV levels in Wrexham at its current state?
The six councils and North Wales Police need to agree a long term strategy for monitoring CCTV. I have an open mind as to the outcome, but it needs to ensure that the people watching the screens have sufficient local knowledge to be effective as well as considering the long term revenue and capital costs
Q3. What practical thing(s) will you do to represent the concerns and interests of the people of Wrexham and the surrounding area specifically?
I think the biggest issue facing the people of Wrexham is the cuts to policing which are being imposed by the Westminster Government. Very few people agree that we should have fewer police and I think we need to send a very strong message that the drip-drip of undermining the police is unacceptable. I will meet regularly with the county council, but also community councils and voluntary organisations so that I can hear directly the concerns and interests of local people.
Q4. How do you intend to balance the budget – will you be looking to increase the police element of the council tax i. from April ii. in future years?
It is not practical to balance the budget by increasing council tax – it is an unfair tax which disproportionately hits the poor and those in smaller houses (if someone lives in a house that cost ten times as much as another house, they should pay ten times as much and the current system means they instead pay just three times as much). The Comprehensive Spending Review proposed that police authorities increase council tax by an average of 4% per year in order to mitigate the loss of grant from central government. I would expect to stick to this policy – but we won’t find out what the Government has in store for us in terms of grant for next year until December.
Q5. Do you support TASER rollout to all front line officers, and is this a strategic decision for them or an operational one for the Chief Constable?
This is an operational decision for the Chief Constable. At present each officer decides which personal protective equipment they wish to carry which includes Tasers. I think the issue is the circumstances in which officers should and should not use various incapacitants (in certain circumstances, the use of a “pepper spray” can be more severe than the use of a Taser). I would hold the Chief Constable to account through public reports on both the policy and the way it is implemented.
Q6. What is the minimum turnout that would give you a legitimate mandate to do the job?
Whoever is elected will need to undertake the duties of the post regardless of the turnout on which they were elected. I think it was a daft idea to have this election in November and to have a single person responsible for such important decisions. I will seek to build a consensus on the important decisions, working closely with the Police & Crime Panel. What matters to the people of North Wales is surely electing someone who has the confidence to do the right thing but also the humility to consult others before making important decisions, not the size of the electoral mandate as a justification for doing the wrong thing in the face of opposition.
Q7. As a measure of your commitment to public accountability, transparency and integrity, within the next week, will you publish on your campaign websites all the campaign donations you have received from individuals and organisations, your membership of any associations, clubs or societies, and your sources of income? If not, why?
Yes. The list of donors is being finalised and I have already published a list of the organisations I belong to and explicitly confirmed that I am not and have never been a member of any secret organisation such as the Masons.
Q8. Will there be a decrease in transparency following the abolition of the police authority with its public meetings and published papers? How will you ensure decisions are made in public?
There is a risk that transparency will decrease: the Government failed to include requirements in the legislation for a similar amount of information to be put into the public domain. I have been clear that all my decisions and the documents on which they are based will be made public – I will also ensure that a wide range of information on Force activities and what I am doing to hold the Force to account is available to the public via the Commissioner’s website. Where information relating to decisions cannot be released (there are various exceptions in law at the moment as well), I will provide information to the Police & Crime Panel on a confidential basis (so long as they are security vetted), so that they are able to hold me to account.

For more info see my website – Tal Michael

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