A Hampshire councillor has been selected as the Conservative candidate for the Police and Crime Commissioner election.
Donna Jones, Tory opposition leader at Portsmouth City Council, is the party’s candidate for the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Police and Crime Commissioner.
The Hilsea ward member was selected during a party meeting held over the weekend.
It is understood she won by two votes, beating former Southampton City Council opposition leader, Jeremy Moulton, who came second.
Ms Jones will now face other parties’ candidates in the election in May.
Drummond no longer standing
It comes as last year the Tories did not select incumbent PCC Michael Lane as their candidate for this year’s election. Flick Drummond was chosen instead.
But in December she confirmed she would not be running this year after she was elected as MP for Meon Valley in the general election.
Jones: People want to feel crime reducing
Ms Jones, who worked as a magistrate in Hampshire for the past 15 years, said she is “thrilled”.
Talking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service she said:
“This is a huge role with many competing demands. If elected in May my priorities will be to reduce crime, making Hampshire and the IOW one of the safest places to live in the country, whilst restoring the public’s confidence in policing.
“People don’t just want to see crime coming down, they want to feel it reducing too. I will make this a priority. Our police work hard and they deserve a commissioner who will work hard too. Less crime, safer streets and justice for victims, that’s what I will deliver.”
Moulton: “She is going to do a great job”
Mr Moulton said it was disappointing not to win but he said he could have not come second to a better candidate.
He added:
“Donna is a fantastic candidate. She is going to do a great job.
“It is great to have someone who has a background in running a big city like Portsmouth and that would be helpful for Southampton in helping tackling crime issues. We are going to be looking to work closely with her.”
This article is from the BBC’s LDRS (Local Democracy Reporter Service) scheme, which OnTheWight is taking part in. Some alterations and additions may be been made by OnTheWight. Ed
